Getting to Know Riza Hawkeye
by fmpipsqueak
Summary: This started out as a light EdxRiza romance fanfic. But I ended up using that as the base for a whole alternative storyline. Climb aboard. I'm still adding chapters (and occasionally updating/redrafting old ones with the help of reviews), and still plenty of EdxRiza fluff amongst the change in direction. Please review. I always welcome constructive feedback, positive or negative.
1. Watching the Clock

Ed sat at a desk in Central command, filling out paperwork that the Colonel had deferred beneath him again. At least that's what he was trying to do. He didn't understand most of it. Admin had never been Ed's strong suit, and they hadn't exactly put much emphasis on this side of the job when training him up to be a State Alchemist. Ed glanced at the clock. "4:45." He thought. Another quarter of an hour before he could go home, and his brain couldn't face having to tick another box. The clock would only run slower in his mind if he kept looking at it. But there wasn't a whole lot left to look at in the office. Probably why he had been assigned to do his work there, so nothing could distract him.

Plenty of other offices in Central had some art on the walls, or at least a potted plant. But craning his neck to look around the room, Ed could see it was just plain walls. Inevitably, Ed was looking at the clock again before he knew it. He began examining the faint reflection cast in the glass face of the clock. The curvature of the glass distorted his face in the reflection, which he found mildly amusing for a couple of seconds. But he had barely killed a minute since he'd set his pencil down.

With that, he turned his chair right around so that he couldn't look at the clock. It was just then he remembered Lieutenant Hawkeye was still there. Another human being, stuck in the same office at quarter-to-five on a Friday. She looked very focused on her work though. Remarkably so. But she always did. Ed didn't have a clue how anyone managed to maintain that level of effort for such repetitive and thankless paperwork. Ed wondered where the Colonel was right now. Funny how there was apparently a lot of work to be done, but on a Friday afternoon he was nowhere to be found. Just two subordinates left to handle the tedious part. "At least Hawkeye is something to look at." Ed thought to himself, snapping out of it immediately after. Where had that come from? His mind had never wandered in that direction when thinking about Lieutenant Hawkeye. He didn't even call her by her first name in his own head.

He kept looking at her. Partially because he couldn't face doing more work or looking at the clock again, but now that he thought about it, she had a nice face. Certainly not the face of someone who had been through a war. Her complexion was as good as flawless, and she didn't appear to be wearing any makeup. Come to think of it, Ed wasn't sure he'd ever seen Riza wear makeup. "Riza." He thought. "It's a Friday afternoon. You can call her by her first name. She's not that uptight."

"Riza?" He called out to her from across the room. She immediately glanced up, sweeping her blonde bangs off of her face. Her big brown eyes were quite intimidating, and caused him to sink back into his chair.

"Edward, is everything ok?" She asked with a concerned tone. He'd done it now. He didn't really have anything to say. He needed to think of something to fuel the conversation. Otherwise he'd be staring at his own reflection in the clock again, and looking like an idiot all at the same time.

"Do you think…" He paused. That was a good start. Asking for an opinion would keep the conversation moving for a few more minutes at least. "Do you think I'm handsome?" He asked, freezing immediately. It was hard to imagine a stupider question he could have asked.

"Well that came out of nowhere." Lieutenant Hawkeye replied. She looked deep in thought for a moment, placing her index finger and thumb on her jawline. "But yeah. I suppose." She shrugged. "In a shy guy sort of way. Yes, I would say you are. Why do you ask?"

That caught him by surprise. He'd be so tied up in rueing his stupid question that he hadn't even wondered what the answer might be, let alone that it might be a 'yes'. That was her though. Straight to the point.

"Oh, thank you." He blushed. "I was just wondering was all. I suppose most girls aren't looking for shy guys though." He didn't consider himself shy. But he could see what she meant. He wasn't the rugged type for sure. He was very short, and still quite boy-ish facially.

Again she looked pensive and smirked. "You'd be surprised. I spend enough time around pseudo-macho alpha males at work without needing to drag them into my personal life. A shy guy might be nice to come home to. Not that I'm looking for a boyfriend." She said, retreating hastily. "That was strange." Ed thought. That was a flicker of embarrassment he'd never seen from Hawkeye before.

"I hear ya." Ed replied, quite cheery at the compliment. "I'm quite short for a guy though. I've always felt it might be a little off-putting."

"Really?" She asked, a tad taken aback. "I mean I'm a bit tall for a woman." She shrugged. "I've never really worried about it though. Besides, you have a kind face. That's a good start in anyone's book."

"Riza, what are you doing this evening?" Ed asked, again freezing. He was bad at this. The words had escaped him before he'd had any chance to think about what he was asking.

"Nothing planned. Why?" She answered. There was no going back now. He'd all but asked already. Worse still, it was so out of sorts that she still hadn't read between the lines.

"I was just…" He paused. Was he seriously about to ask out the Lieutenant? Ed couldn't really think of where else to take this line of conversation. He was at a dead end. At least the worst she could say was 'no'. "I was just wondering if you'd like to go anywhere this evening."

Hawkeye was taken aback. "Like… go out… on a date?" She asked with a slight chuckle. "You do realise I'm literally a decade older than you, right?"

Her laughter cut through him a little more than he was expecting. "No, no. Not like that." He backpedaled. "Just maybe go and get something to eat."

"So dinner with a friend?"

"Well kind of. I haven't really gone out with a woman before. I'm not sure quite to call it."

"So you'd like to practice going on a date with me?" She asked, her tone turning a little more sour. Why was he digging himself deeper into this pit?

"No. Definitely not a practice date. You were closer to the mark with 'dinner with a friend'. What I mean is, if you aren't doing anything, and don't have any plans already as for where you might want to eat food, maybe we could both eat food together."

"Relax. I know what you meant." Riza reassured him, sighing and laughing at the same time. "No need to be so nervous. Next time, just call it dinner. You know where I live, right? I'll be outside my apartment at 7."

How could Hawkeye have known what he had meant? Ed wasn't even sure what he had meant. Was this a date? She hadn't been very clear, but he was afraid to ask again. He could already feel butterflies setting in as he turned around to look at his 'kind face' in the glass of the clock.

"What? Still only ten-to-five?"


	2. In the Hall

Ed paced a small section of the hall outside Lieutenant Hawkeye's apartment. It was difficult for him to tread lightly when one of his legs was made of metal, but he didn't quite know what else to do. All of a sudden there were a lot of questions swirling around in his head where there hadn't been just a couple of hours ago. Was he taking Lieutenant Hawkeye on a date? Was she humouring him? He flicked open his State Alchemist pocket watch. As the second hand brought the hour to a close, the door suddenly opened, as if it had been timed with perfect precision. Surely just a coincidence, but he would put nothing past the Lieutenant. Her timekeeping, amongst many other things, was always very precise.

"Hello, Edward." She said, with a hint of surprise in her voice. "Very punctual. I would have figured you for the fashionably late type, perhaps." She was wearing a pale lavender turtleneck, complimented by an emerald green pendant. On her lower half she was wearing dark blue jeans and tan leather boots, with heels that gave her another two inches more over the State Alchemist than her flatter shoes had done earlier. Ed had never thought about how the Lieutenant dressed outside of the office. Part of him had figured she might have just worn her uniform all the time. But right now she didn't look like the disciplined soldier he was used to. She looked… feminine. Still little evidence of any makeup, but she was wearing her hair down. Something else he hadn't seen before, and something he hadn't really imagined her doing before. Her whole demeanour was a lot more relaxed than it would be at work. Nevertheless, she was probably still carrying at least one gun. That got his brain asking some more questions too. Her clothes were pretty tight to her figure. He didn't see how she could be concealing a gun. She had a nice figure though, now that he was thinking about it. The state uniform could make anyone look pretty shapeless. But dressed more casually, he could see the Lieutenant was actually quite curvaceous.

"Sometimes I am." He laughed, breaking eye contact by looking at the floor. "If I was coming here to do paperwork for Colonel Mustang, you might not see me for another half an hour."

"No Al with you tonight?" Hawkeye asked. Ed wasn't sure what to say. Was he supposed to have brought Al? It had been difficult to come up with an excuse as to why he had to meet with the Lieutenant at all this evening without bringing on more suspicion from his younger brother.

"Eh, no. No he's back at home. You never said I should bring him along." Ed answered, a little flustered. Perhaps he had badly misread the situation, and this was really a very platonic meeting.

"No, no. Not at all." Riza laughed. "It's just very rare to see one of you without the other. But I'm sure I can content myself with one of you. A lot easier to keep an eye on you that way."

Ed wasn't sure what to make of all this. He couldn't tell if Hawkeye considered this babysitting or if he was on her level to her. She'd seen him in action though. His ability as an alchemist was unquestionable. He had taken on seasoned killers and beaten them fair and square. When he thought about it that way, it was hard to see why she wouldn't take him seriously as a grown up. Ed wasn't your ordinary teenager.

"Do you have anywhere in mind you want to go?" Edward asked, trying to move on with the evening.

"You would know Central better than I would." She answered, shrugging. "I didn't transfer here all that long ago, and I've been cooking for myself most of the time."

Ed wasn't sure. He wanted to give the right impression. Upmarket for sure, but he didn't want to overdo it either when he didn't know what sort of date this was. This also brought up the question of how they were going to split the bill. But that could wait.

"I'm really not sure either. I haven't been to many restaurants in Central myself. What sort of food do you like?" He asked, hastily trying to get some information to help his decision making.

"I'm not picky, really. I'm just glad I don't have to cook for a change. I imagine you know the feeling." Riza said, softly sighing.

"Not really. I don't actually know how to cook very much myself. I usually get something delivered" He replied, trailing off towards the end. He wasn't doing a very good job of sounding less like a child.

"You live on your own and you don't know how to cook?" Riza asked. "But wait, you're an alchemist, right? How can you deconstruct and reconstruct a concrete wall and not know how to put an omelette together?"

"IT'S A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SCIENCE, ALRIGHT?!" Ed snapped in one of his trademark outbursts. He quickly reeled in back in though, doing his best to preserve his dignity. Maybe he was too immature to be going to dinner with Hawkeye, even platonically.

"Calm down, Ed." She replied, half sighing, half laughing. "Tell you what. Now this is going to sound dumb, but I used to do this sometimes when I was a teenager and didn't want to cook." Hawkeye reached a right hand out to the young alchemist which he tentatively took hold of with his own left as she began to lead him down the hall, towards the stairs.

"Slow down. I only have short legs. Where are we going anyway?" Ed asked, trying to keep up with the Lieutenant's greater stride without having to break into a full-blown dash.

"Just wait and see. It's not far. Come on." She said, not slowing her brisk walking pace remotely. Ed wasn't looking forward to having to keep up on the stairs.


	3. Noodles

"Noodles?" Ed asked, as Riza handed him a paper box.

"Yes. The chopsticks are inside the box." She answered. "Sit yourself down." The Lieutenant added, gesturing to the park bench with her elbow as she herself took a seat on it.

"It's just noodles and sauce. Wouldn't there usually be something else in here too?" He asked, cautiously, trying his best not to offend, all the while poking around with his chopsticks in case he was missing something.

"Plain, I know. But it was something with a lot of energy I could depend on when I was younger. Before I had a job." She recounted. Hawkeye looked reminiscent, almost fondly so. But from her tone, and from what little Ed had picked up in passing, he could tell they weren't her happiest days.

"Before you joined the military, you mean." Ed said, inquisitively.

"Yes. It's the only work I know, I suppose. I didn't have much money growing up. My father was an alchemic researcher. But he was very selective about who he shared his information with, and he did not indulge the military with his findings."

"Difficult to see where income comes from if he wouldn't share his research." Ed said, trying to lift a noodle with his chop sticks.

"Indeed." She replied, nodding, looking down at her paper carton of noodles. "I didn't really know my mother. So I mostly took care of myself. But sometimes I didn't feel like cooking, and noodles are cheap."

"I don't mind the noodles." Ed replied. "But would it kill them to include a fork?" He added getting a bit frustrated.

"Never used chopsticks before?" Riza asked. "Wait, couldn't you just transmute a fork?"

Ed hadn't thought of that. He was an alchemic prodigy, but his frustration had a way of getting the better of him sometimes. Hawkeye was like his polar opposite. No real alchemic knowledge, but her common sense and level headedness made her extremely versatile.

"That's right. I'd never thought of that." Ed laughed. He clapped his hands together, and suddenly the wooden chopsticks he had been holding became a wooden fork. "That reminds me. I've been meaning to ask, why did you never take up alchemy? You think quick. That's the most difficult part. If you've got that you can learn the rest pretty easily."

"You're very kind." She replied with a smile. "But it's not something that interests me. My father devoted his life to studying alchemy. I'm not going to say he wasted his life. But I don't think it made him happy in the end. I think I'm more suited to firearms anyway."

Ed was fascinated. Hawkeye had just been an acquaintance from work, but now that he'd taken some time to get to know a little more about her, she was a very interesting person. Interesting and attractive, and it was getting to him.

"I guess it's like the chopsticks." Ed chuckled. "It's not for everyone."

"But I can teach you that in ten seconds." Riza said. He swivelled Ed around so that he almost sitting in her lap. He blushed as she did so. "Hold the top one between your index finger and middle finger tips, but rest it on the knuckle of your index finger." She explained, demonstrating with her own chopsticks.

"That looks the same to me." He replied, confused.

"You were trying to hold them both between your index finger and thumb. You can't really grab anything like that." She laughed. "Like this." She showed him again, dipping into Ed's carton of noodles. "Open up." She said, lifting a couple of noodles towards his face.

Ed obliged, eating the noodles. "Thank you." He said.

"Not at all." Riza assured him.

"Lieutenant?" Ed asked, hesitantly. "I need to ask you something about earlier."

"Ed, you don't have to call me Lieutenant. We finished work for the day hours ago." She laughed.

Even so, it was difficult for Ed to get into the habit of using her first name. "Riza…" He started. "Earlier, you said that you knew what I meant when I asked you to dinner."

"Ed, you don't need to hide it." Riza replied. He tone was understanding and gentle.

"I don't?" Ed said, surprised.

"No. I've picked up on the signs, and there's no need to be embarrassed." Riza reassured him. She wrapped both of her arms around his waist in a comforting way. "You want me to help you tell Winry how you feel."

Ed spun around so that they were face-to-face again. "No, no. You've got it all wrong." He laughed nervously.

"Are you sure?" Hawkeye probed. "A date that's not a date, not quite a practice date, and not quite dinner with a friend? Are you telling me you really weren't asking for my help? I can help you if you want me to."


	4. Complicated

"It's complicated." Ed said. It had become a lot more complicated in the last few hours.

"Typical alchemist." Hawkeye replied with a closed-eyed sigh. "You're probably thinking there's some secret formula, and once you crack it you'll know what to say."

Ed blushed. That was more or less how he thought women worked.

"No such luck, Fullmetal." Riza laughed. "I don't claim to speak for all women, but that's precisely the point. Sound like you're reading a script that you've practiced in the mirror, and you're not going to come across as very sincere. Just be yourself." She said, putting a hand on his automail shoulder. "I know you've probably heard that a thousand times before, but in your case it's true. You have a lot to work with. If I were Winry, I'd gladly have you as a boyfriend."

"And what if you weren't Winry?" Ed asked.

"I don't think I follow." Riza replied, confused.

"What if you were Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye?"

"I am Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye." She said assertively. "You're going to need to start over. I got lost about 15 seconds ago."

"Right." Ed said, tapping the index fingers on both hands together, breaking eye contact. "I'm not wording this very well so far." He added.

"Take your time. You don't need to dress it up. Anything you need to ask me, just ask, and I will answer to the best of my ability." Her tone was comforting, but maintained a degree of the methodical woman with nerves of steel he'd come to know. At least he could bet on a straight answer from Hawkeye.

"This is going to sound sudden." He said, trying his best to resume eye contact. "I know that because it feels very sudden for me too. I didn't really know you until today. I've only just started to get to know you now."

"Ed, that's not true." She said, smiling. The Lieutenant moved her hand from his automail shoulder and seized his human hand. "This isn't the first time you've spoken to me. You know that."

"Sure. I mean we've talked before. But only really at work. Or about work. It's always work related is what I'm trying to say." Ed explained, breaking eye contact again.

"Well, yes. That's true. But if you need to talk to me about something else, even at work I will do my best to be attentive where I can. Believe me, I know the value of having someone to talk to. I'm just curious as to why you've come to me?"

"Well that's just it. I didn't really realise until earlier today. In the office, I got butterflies." Ed explained.

"Butterflies? Talking to me? Ed, there's no need to be nervous around me. I'm not the judgemental type and everything I-"

"I just need you to listen for a second." Ed interrupted. "Sorry for cutting you off mid-sentence."

"No, really. Go ahead." Riza said, a little taken aback, but intrigued to hear where Ed was going with this.

"I never expected this. Not to mention it happening this fast. But… Lieutenant Hawkeye, I think I'm falling for you."

Riza broke eye contact this time. "Ed, I think I mentioned earlier that I'm not looking for a boyfriend."

"I hear ya." He answered, turning away. There was a lump in his throat now. But Riza did not relinquish his hand.

"Now I need you to listen to me for a second." Riza said, keeping a tight hold of his hand. Her voice carried its usual authority. But Ed could tell she was even more serious now than usual. "What I was saying was, earlier I mentioned that I wasn't looking for a boyfriend. But that's not to say I couldn't find one without meaning to."

"Now I'm a little lost." Ed said. It was not like Hawkeye to mince her words. Beneath her assertive tone was an undertone of vulnerability now.

"You spoke to me sincerely. You were yourself, and what you did took a lot of bravery. It was me who gave you that advice. Why do I feel I may come to regret this decision?" She laughed. "But I think I'm going to give you a chance."


	5. After Dinner

"Down, Black Hayate!" Riza scolded, as the dog chewed at the tail of Ed's coat. "I'm sorry, Ed. He's just a little excitable around new people." She bent down and pet Hayate's head. "That's enough. You've met Ed before." She said, assertively before closing the apartment door behind her. Ed still couldn't quite believe his luck. Here he was back in the Lieutenant's apartment.

"Don't worry about it." Ed laughed. "This old coat can survive pretty much anything."

"Feel free to take your coat off too." Hawkeye offered, pointing to a coat rack to the right of the door. "I keep the heat on pretty much all the time. It's costing me a fortune I probably can't afford, but when I get home from work the last thing I want to do is layer up." She then pulled the turtleneck she was wearing off from over her head. Beneath it she was wearing a plain black t-shirt that hugged tight to her figure. Ed placed his coat on the coat rack and took a seat on the couch beside her. It was the first time he'd ever had a good look at her apartment. It wasn't anything fancy. For the amount of money the state put into the military, a lot of the personnel didn't seem to see very much for it. It was however well maintained. Everything was extremely tidy and orderly, just as he would have expected from her.

Now he looked at her. Hawkeye's arms were toned, and remarkably strong looking. More so than just about any woman he'd ever seen. But her figure was still quite shapely and feminine, with a narrow waist and broad, voluptuous hips.

"I've never actually looked at your arm close up before." Riza said, curiously. "May I?" She asked, leaning in.

"Go ahead." Ed replied. It was natural for someone to be curious about it. Whilst he wasn't the only person with an automail limb or two, it still wasn't commonplace in Amestris.

Riza held his automail arm and examined it closely before pressing the flat of her palm against his so that their hands lined up. His hand was significantly smaller than hers. "It's a brilliant feat of engineering. Winry made this?" She enquired.

"Yes, she did. What can I say? Automail is her thing. I've never met someone with such enthusiasm for it."

"She certainly did a good job." Riza replied, letting go of his arm. "I'm sorry about earlier. I completely got the wrong idea." She added apologetically.

"No, really. I understand. You wouldn't be the first person to think that. We've known each other for a really long time, and sure, I have some feelings for her because of that. But not exactly… what I mean is-"

"I understand your explanation more than you know." Riza sighed. "A lot of people assume there's something going on between the Colonel and I."

"Yeah, I suppose I did sort of assume there might have been." Ed replied honestly.

"It's a similar story. We've known each other for a very long time. We fought a war together. We are extremely close. Naturally we do have some mutual feelings. But like you said, it's not exactly like that."

Neither of them could really put it into words, but they were both on the same page. "But you're still comfortable dating me?" Ed asked.

"Yes. You don't need to worry about that. I stand with the Colonel through anything. But it's nice to leave my work at the door. I don't think it would be healthy to bring any baggage from the office home with me. I get the feeling you feel the same way." She explained. "Would you like a glass of wine?"

Ed thought. He hadn't actually had wine before. "Sure. I don't think I've ever had wine. But alright."

"Well neither of us have work tomorrow, so I don't see the harm in a glass." Riza chuckled. She got a bottle of wine and two glasses from a cupboard in the kitchen area of her apartment. She poured two glasses of red wine and passed one to Ed. Taking a cautious sip he suddenly winced, making Riza laugh.

"You weren't kidding about not having had wine before." She giggled. "It's an acquired taste. You don't have to finish it if you aren't enjoying it." She assured him.

Ed was determined to not look immature. "It's just a little different. Nothing I can't get used to." He replied, trying to hide his sour expression and taking another sip. "I was wondering though." He said, changing his tone to one of slight concern. "Can I… Call your my girlfriend now?"

"Yes. I suppose you can." Riza said smiling.

"Right. That's going to take some getting used to as well." Ed laughed nervously. "And… the state. I mean the military, and the Colonel. Is it allowed?"

"I'll admit, it's a bit of a grey area. I'm not sure how welcoming the military will be about a relationship within its ranks. But we wouldn't be the first, and you in particular are too valuable to them to alienate over something so trivial." She replied. She sounded stern but confident in her answer.

"And what about Roy?"

"It's the last thing he'll expect. But he'd have some nerve to question my decision. I've never put my foot in his personal life. I would expect the same courtesy." She was brilliantly composed and articulate in her responses. Nothing seemed to phase her. Where Ed was tripping over his words, Riza was perfectly comfortable.

"Does that mean I can move a little closer?" Ed asked.

"It does." Riza smiled. "But not too much. This is still a first date."

Ed slide down the couch towards her so that their knees were just touching. He wasn't getting ahead of himself. Hawkeye most certainly did not seem like the "easy" type. "I still can't quite get my ahead around it." He said.

"Around what?" Hawkeye asked.

"How I'm even here. How you're giving me a chance." Ed explained.

"Don't beat yourself up, Ed. I explained my reasons." She put her hand on his cheek. "I told you that I think you're quite handsome. Or are you just determined to hear it again?" She laughed.

"No, no. Not at all. Really."

"Ok. You are also an intelligent person, even though you are good at hiding it sometimes." She continued, still smiling at him. "You are fun, you are interesting, and you can be yourself around me. If you're worried that being a bit shorter than me or a bit younger than me is going to write you off, then put your mind at ease." She pulled him towards her and rested his head on her shoulder. "Give me some credit. I told you, I'm not the judgemental type."


	6. Late Breakfast

Ed awkwardly eased his eyes open as the sun came through the curtains. He was still on the Lieutenant's arms on the couch. He very gradually turned his body round, trying to get comfortable again. He must have slept on that side of his body all night. Riza opened her eyes now as well.

"Morning." She said, running her fingers through Ed's golden hair. "What time is it?" She asked, stretching her arms.

Ed checked his pocket watch. "Quarter-past eleven." He laughed. "Thank God we don't have work today."

"Mmhmm." Riza yawned. "Even for a day off this is sleeping in for me. Mind if I get up, or are you too comfortable to be moved?" She asked, smiling.

"No, that's ok." Ed answered, sitting up straight now. "Can I?" He began. "Can I kiss you, good morning?"

"No." Riza said, still smiling, but quite firm in her tone. "Everyone tastes disgusting first thing in the morning, and we are no exception. I would rather be a little less gross the first time I kiss you."

Ed blushed and broke eye contact. "That's uh… Very thoughtful of you."

"Relax. Soon, I promise." She assured him, placing her hand on his cheek. At that moment, Black Hayate jumped up onto the couch and licked Ed on the other side of his face.

"If only Black Hayate was as considerate." Ed grumbled.

"Well look at it this way: at least you have his approval. Sometimes he can be the jealous type." Riza replied, scooping up the dog and putting him over her shoulder. "How about I make you some breakfast and then you can clean yourself up?"

"Are you talking to me or the dog?" Ed chuckled.

"You, of course. Actually, here's a better idea. How about you clean yourself up first, and then I will teach you how to cook something?"

"Yeah. I think I can handle that." Ed said, confidently. "Just promise me it's not noodles."

Riza laughed. "Oh no. You're not getting off with something as simple as that. Nothing too difficult, but I'll set you a bit more of a challenge than that."

"Ok. You're on. You'll probably need to tell me where the bathroom is if I'm going to get cleaned up though."

"You'll need to go into my room. Ensuite. About the only perk of this apartment." She said, pointing to the other end of the apartment. "You can get yourself a toothbrush if you check the second drawer down in the bathroom."

Hawkeye wasn't kidding. There must have been ten unopened toothbrushes in the second drawer. It was every bit as meticulously kept as the rest of the apartment. Ed brushed his teeth and got a quick shower. He was sometimes one to procrastinate and stand around aimlessly in the shower because he didn't want to have to step out and dry down. But he didn't want to keep Riza waiting. He dried his body and put his clothes back on before returning to the kitchen area of the apartment.

"Oh, there you are. I've measured out some ingredients. You're making pancakes." Riza said.

"Pancakes, huh?" Ed asked. "I think I can manage that. I haven't had pancakes in years. What should I do first?" He asked, eagerly.

"You can start by cracking a few eggs. The recipe on written down next to the bowl. In the meantime, I'm going to clean myself up."

Ed cracked the eggs as best he could, lifting out a couple of fragments of shell that fell into the bowl. Then he heard Riza call from the bathroom. "Ed! If you are going to use my towels, could you please fold them back up when you're done with them."

"Eh, sorry." He replied awkwardly.

"It's fine. Just be more careful next time." Riza answered. She didn't sound angry, but she certainly cared about keeping her apartment orderly.

A few minutes later, Riza emerged, now wearing tan pants and a black turtleneck. Her hair was still damp and brushed back behind her ears. "How are you getting on?" She asked.

"Good. I think." Ed said, blushing. "You look great. Is that a new sweater?"

"No." Riza laughed. "I've been wearing this at least once a week for months. Not very observant of you, but thank you for the compliment." She added, running her fingers through Ed's also damp hair. "It looks like you're ready to put the mixture in pan."

"Yeah, that looks like the hard part. I was waiting until you got back."

"You'll find it easy. I promise. First you need to heat the pan, and then put some oil in it."

The pan heated slowly, and made a loud hissing sound as he poured the oil in. Flipping the pancakes was the trickiest part, and Ed had to destroy a couple by accident before he finally flipped one cleanly. When he was done, he was left with a couple of plates of pancakes, varying from passable to completely mis-shapen. Ed and Riza retook their places on the couch with a plate each.

"Not bad, Fullmetal." Riza smiled, as she took a forkful.

"That one's all folded. There's a better one somewhere in that pile, I swear." Ed replied.

"Presentation comes with practice. You followed the recipe and it worked. Same as alchemy." She assured him.

"I guess it is kinda like alchemy." Ed smiled. "I hope it doesn't take as long to get good at making pancakes as it did to get good at alchemy though."

"Not even close." Hawkeye laughed. "Not at all. If you even do this twice more you'll be as good as anyone. There's not much to learn."

"So… what are you doing tomorrow?" Ed asked, cautiously.

"A little overtime." Hawkeye sighed. "There's always some paperwork to be done, and I could do with some more money. It's only for a couple of hours though."

"Maybe I'll drop by command and see you then." Ed smiled.

"That's very thoughtful of you." Riza said, holding Ed's hand. "I'll be taking Hayate for a walk after that. You're very welcome to join me."

"Absolutely. Oh, look at the time." Ed said, checking his state alchemist watch. "It's nearly mid-day. I don't know how I'm going to explain staying out all night to Al."


	7. Baby

"Lieutenant Hawkeye?" Al asked, making sure he'd heard correctly. "You were on a date with Lieutenant Hawkeye? How old is she? 30?"

"Pipe down. It's a Sunday. Are you trying to bother the whole neighbourhood?" Ed replied, placing his finger in front of his own lips. "And she's 27. Big difference."

"That's still more than 10 years older than you. Did she know it was a date? It doesn't count if you didn't tell her. Was she undercover?" Al continued, still not really sure where to begin.

"Of course she knew it was a date. Well, not at first I mean." Ed explained. "I didn't actually know it was a date at first either. But then we decided it was."

"But why would she want to have a date with you?" Al asked, scratching his helmet of a head with a metal fingertip from his left hand.

"And what's that supposed to mean?! Why wouldn't she?!" Ed barked. Keeping his temper wasn't among his better skills.

"Because you're small, and you're still a teenager, and you have a bad temper. She's tall, elegant, mature, and a grown up woman. It doesn't make any sense that she would want to go on a date with you."

"Perhaps it is our mutual insecurities about such things that make us so perfect a match. Ever consider that?" Ed said through gritted teeth, fist clenched at his side.

"I didn't mean it like that, brother." Al backtracked.

"It sounds like you are a little jealous, if you ask me." Ed said, grinning slightly.

"No I'm not. I still don't even believe it's true. I just assumed Lieutenant Hawkeye would want to be with someone like Colonel Mustang and-"

Ed immediately interrupted. "Mustang? That jerk? You've got it all wrong. She told me just yesterday she's not interested in him. Right around the same time she told me I'm handsome and intelligent." He exclaimed, closing his eyes smugly.

"Well now I know you're just making all this up." Al said, crossing his arms.

"Hmm… Would you look at the time." Ed replied, checking his pocket watch. "I think I might swing by command and see if Riza is nearly done for the day. I guess you can come with me, if you like being proven wrong." Ed said, getting more arrogant about this by the second.

Ed and Al made their way to Central Command where Hawkeye was doing some paperwork. She was in Colonel Mustang's office, but he was nowhere to be found on a Sunday.

"Hey, baby." Ed said, sitting himself down on the corner of Riza's desk, winking at her as she looked up.

"Ed, I didn't hear you come in. Oh, and you brought Al with you." She said, smiling in Al's direction.

Whilst Al's metal body made him incapable of blushing, he certainly would have had he had his old body back.

"I tend to go where I want. Sometimes Al tags along." Ed answered, cracking his knuckles, and a certain boastful swagger to his voice.

"Ed? Are you feeling ok?" Riza asked, trying to hide her laughter.

"Just fine, especially now that I'm here with you, baby." Ed continued, his attempts at being 'cool' becoming more painful by the second.

"Brother says you went on a date with him, and you are his girlfriend now. But I can see he made all that up." Al said, picking up on Hawkeye's laughter.

"No. Ed didn't actually make that up." Riza replied, biting her lip to mask her amusement.

"He didn't?" Al asked, making sure he'd heard this right.

"No. We went out for some noodles last night, and Ed told me he liked me very much, and I said I liked him very much as well. Especially when he's BEING HIMSELF." She said, putting extra emphasis at the end, though smiling all the while.

"Eh, sorry. Must have got a little carried away there." Ed replied, cringing a little.

"Oh no. Don't think you can just call me 'baby' and expect me not to laugh at you for it." She said, not even trying to hold it back any longer. "That was very cute though."

"Alright, alright." Ed said, frowning. "It was dumb. Do you still need some help walking Black Hayate later this evening?" He asked.

"Need? No. I'm pretty sure I can walk one small dog around the block by myself. I wouldn't mind some company though, if that's what you mean." Riza answered. She was a greatly independent person; a trait that seemed to radiate from everything she said and did.

"Wait, wait, wait. I'm still confused." Said Al, waving his arms. "Why do you want to go on dates with someone like Ed just for being himself? You're beautiful. I'm sure lots of men are themselves around you all the time, and they're bound to be much taller than Ed."

Hawkeye could almost see steam erupting from the side's of the Fullmetal Alchemist's head. "That's very sweet of you, Al." She said with a smile. "But you'd be surprised by how many people struggle to be themselves, and who everyone is on the inside isn't always as endearing as who Ed really is. For what it's worth, I don't really mind a man being shorter than me either." She continued, twisting Ed's ponytail through her fingers. "I appreciate your concern though, Al. If you just keep being yourself, you'll find someone just right for you very soon. Now if the pair of you wouldn't mind leaving me to finish this work, I shouldn't take any longer than half an hour."

"Ok. I'll kill some time and meet you outside." Ed replied, waving as he walked towards the door.

"No problem, baby." Riza replied, wiping a couple of tears of laughter from her eyes.

"Aww come on. That was a cheap shot. You better not plan on bringing this up all the time."


	8. Spontaneous

"Is this some joke you're both in on?" Al asked, lying on a patch of grass outside of command.

"What? No! Why is it so hard to believe that Lieutenant Hawkeye is my girlfriend?" Ed asked, insulted by his brother's skepticism.

"So many reasons. First of all-" Al began

"Well she just told you that she's not as shallow as you seem to think. Plus she's a fan of my kind face." Ed interrupted, sounding quite smug.

"Kind face? But you look angry all the time." Al replied, sounding confused.

"Angry all the time?! What do you mean I look angry all the time?!" Ed barked.

"Yes! Just like that." Al said, pointing at his brother's comically enraged expression.

"Everything ok over here?" Hawkeye asked, leaping over the stone rail of the steps, landing a few yards from the bickering brothers.

"Just fine." Ed replied. "Al's the one being jealous, and he doesn't believe that you think I have a kind face."

Riza rolled her eyes. "What have I got myself into?" She sighed with a slight smile. "Yes, Al. I do think Ed has a kind face. He doesn't seem to have it on right now. But hopefully he'll calm down soon."

Al's metal head dipped. "I used to have a kind face, you know. I can't show any expression right now, so I know that's hard to believe. But I remember that I did."

Riza sat down on the grass beside him. "You show more expression than I think you realise." She said, putting a comforting hand on his metal arm. "You are good at being yourself too, Al. I wasn't kidding earlier when I said that's rarer than you might think. You're going to get your body back as well. I know you are. The both of you are so determined that nothing's going to stop you, and when you do, you can come straight to command and show me your kind face." She reassured him.

Al perked up. "Yes. Thank you Miss Hawkeye. I mean Lieutenant."

"Either would be technically correct. Although I'm not on duty right now. You can just call me Riza." The Lieutenant then turned to Ed. "Are we going for this walk then, Fullmetal?"

"Yes, right behind you." Ed said. He looked guiltily over to Al. "Al, you can come with us if you want."

"No, that's ok." Al said, sounding more cheerful now. "I think I'm going to go for a walk of my own."

"Suit yourself." Ed shrugged. "That was a good thing you did." Ed said quietly, as he walked away with Hawkeye.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Al. He's struggling to come to terms with idea of us being together, and I think it's partially to do with him feeling held back by not having his real body. What you said. I think it really helped him." Ed answered.

"What about you? That was very nice of you to offer to bring him along." Hawkeye said sweetly.

"Well, I couldn't just leave him there without at least asking if he wanted to tag along." Ed answered, blushing and eyeing the ground. "So where to now?"

"Back to my apartment of course."

"What? Already? I like the way you think. But I thought we were going to walk Black Hayate." Ed said, taken aback.

"We are. That's where Black Hayate is. You didn't think… On a second date?" She asked.

"No, no. Of course not." Ed panicked, waving his hands. "I just forgot that's where he would be."

"Although I did say I'd kiss you, now didn't I?" Riza smiled at him.

"Yes, I think you might have mentioned something to that effect." Ed mumbled, blushing terribly.

Together they went back to the Lieutenant's apartment. "Do you want to take the leash?" Hawkeye asked, clipping it onto Hayate's collar. "I warn you he pulls harder than you'd expect."

"I can handle it." Ed laughed. "We're just going around the block, right?"

They took Hayate down to the street outside Riza's apartment. "He gets very restless if I don't walk him every day, and I can't really afford for him to chew up the furniture." Riza laughed, leading Ed down a side street. "It's a dead end down here, so you can let him off the leash and let him run around for a while. He's smart enough to stay away from the road end."

"He must be well trained." Ed said, surprised.

"I run a tight ship." Riza smiled. "Of course you know that, I'm sure."

"It figures." Ed laughed. "Can I… kiss you now?" He asked tentatively.

"In an alley? What kind of woman do you take me for?" Riza giggled.

"Not like that. I was trying to be…" Ed paused, looking for the right word.

"Spontaneous?" Riza shrugged, smiling.

"Yeah. Yeah that sounds about right." Ed replied, blushing.

"I can appreciate that. There's plenty of overlap between spontaneity and romance. Although I'd still rather be sitting on the couch when I kiss you for the first time. When we get home. I promise." She said with a wink.


	9. Kissing

"Thank you for walking Black Hayate for me, Ed." Riza said, closing the door behind her. She sounded quite tired.

"Don't worry about it." Ed replied, smiling.

"Feel free to sit down. I'm just going to change out of my uniform." Riza said, slipping her blue military coat off.

Ed sat down on Hawkeye's couch. He could feel his heart beating inside his chest. His contact with women up until that point had been very limited. Resembool didn't have a big population, and Winry had shot him down the only time he'd ever expressed any interest. He'd been moving around too much in the time after that to get close to any women.

When Riza returned she was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a black t-shirt. She sat down on the couch next to Ed. "Nervous?" She asked, running her hand through Ed's hair.

"Terrified." Ed confessed with an anxious laugh.

Riza smiled reassuringly. "I'm a little nervous too, if I'm honest. But you can relax. You know it's just me, and I know it's just you." Just then, the phone suddenly rang. "Ugh… And whoever that is." She sighed. She promptly stood up and answered the ringing phone.

"Hawkeye speaking." She said sternly, introducing herself. "Oh, hello Colonel." She said, sounding a little surprised.

"Great." Ed thought. "Even when he's not here he manages to get in my way."

"Yes. I finished all the paperwork earlier this afternoon... Not at all… No. I'm just having the rest of the evening to myself… Just myself and Edward Elric." She said, speaking into the telephone. Edward could only hear one half of the conversation, but he could fill in the blanks himself well enough.

"Elric?!" He heard Roy exclaim down the phone. "The Fullmetal alchemist? Did he get himself into trouble again?"

"I guess you could say that." Riza replied, smiling at Ed. "I am about to kiss him without court martialing him first."

Ed felt his face nearly go on fire from blushing.

"Uhhh… What?!" The colonel asked, audibly through the phone.

"You heard me."

"Stop joking around. Why would you be kissing Elric?" He asked, sounding quite annoyed.

"Because Ed happens to be a very nice boy. Not jealous, are you?" She asked teasingly.

"Exactly. A boy. A no-good punk kid! And no, I'm not jealous. You can… kiss whoever you like."

"Thank you, sir. I think I'll do just that. Have a good evening." Riza said hanging up the phone. She could see that Ed's head was about to explode since Roy had called him a 'no-good punk kid'. "Sorry about that. Now, where were we?" Hawkeye asked, sliding closing to Ed.

Ed looked extremely worried. His breathing rate had greatly increased.

"Ed? Is it too warm. I can turn the heating down if you want." She assured him.

"No. It's not that. I've just… never kissed a girl before." Ed admitted, his eye contact breaking.

"That's no big deal. When I was 16, I'd never kissed a boy before."

"But you're not 16. You're 27. I'm… a little worried I'm out of my depth here." Ed said, a little panicked.

"We don't have to kiss if you don't want to, Ed." Riza said. She smiled and put her hand on his knee. "I just thought you wanted to."

"I do. A lot. But the more I think about it, the more nervous I become."

"Then let me doing the thinking for you. Follow my lead. You can consider it a lesson, even though I'm probably not the best teacher."

"I'll try and keep up." Ed laughed nervously.

"No need to keep up. Take it as slowly as you need. Rushing isn't very romantic anyway. Now, just put one hand on my waist and the other under my arm so that you're holding me just under my shoulder."

"Like this?" Ed asked, following her instructions.

"Yes. That's fine so far. See, there's not much to it." Riza reassured him. "Now just ease yourself towards me and…"

"And?" Ed asked. "I'm sorry. Stupid question. I just don't want to do anything wrong."

"Not at all." Riza laughed. "And press your lips against mine."

"That's all I need to do?" Ed asked, surprised there was no more.

"Pretty much." Riza shrugged.

Ed did as she explained and leaned in, pressing his lips against hers for a few seconds. "Was that ok?" He asked.

"Yes. Just fine. Just loosen up a little and try again. Remember, there's no need to be nervous." She answered.

"Right." Ed said, leaning in again. Riza let herself fall back onto the arm of the couch. He pressed his lips against hers for a few seconds again. "Any better?"

"Yes. You're picking this up quickly. Looks like you're a natural." She smiled at him. "Once more."


	10. Complicated II

Ed and Riza kissed for well over half an hour. "See. Nothing to worry about." Riza said, smiling as she pulled away. She touched her nose against Ed's and kissed him on the cheek.

"I think I know what I'm doing now." Ed smiled. "Thank you for showing me."

"It was nothing." She assured him. "And thank you very much for being a good student." She added with a giggle. "It's getting late and we've both got work tomorrow, if I'm not mistaken, so I'm going to bed. You can sleep next to me if you want. But I do mean sleep. That's not a euphemism."

"I got ya." Ed nodded. "Yeah. I'll stick around. I'll just need to call Al and let him know I'm not going be home tonight."

"That's a good idea. You use the phone and I'll change into my nightwear. Are you ok just to sleep in your clothes?" She asked.

"Yeah, that's fine." Ed smiled, picking up the phone. He dialled the number and waited for it to ring. "Hello, Al? It's Ed. I'm staying over at the Lieutenant's apartment and-"

"I don't want to know!" Al interrupted. "Please, spare me the details."

"What?! No! That's not why I'm calling." He yelled at him through the phone. "I was trying to explain why I wouldn't be home so that you wouldn't get worried." He grumbled

"Oh. That's ok. Do you mind if I put the phone down now? This conversation is making me quite uncomfortable." Al mumbled.

"Fine. Be a baby that way. I'll see you tomorrow." Ed answered, setting the phone down.

Riza returned from the bedroom. She was wearing pink pyjamas with long sleeves and matching slippers on her feet. "Like my pyjamas?" She asked.

"Yes. They look very cozy." He replied, blushing slightly.

"Thank you. Maybe I should buy you a matching set." Riza replied with a chuckle, watching Ed's blushing intensify. "Come on then." She said, nodding in the direction of her room. Ed followed close behind and slid into bed beside Riza.

"So… just sleeping then?" Ed asked, nervously.

"Just sleeping." She replied, opening a crime novel to a bookmarked page in the middle. "Take it one step at a time." She added glancing over to him. "I'm going to read for a little while. Sorry if it seems a little antisocial. It's just how I unwind before I go to sleep. It doesn't mean I can't cuddle with one arm if you want to get over here though." She continued, holding Ed's automail right hand.

"Sure. No problem." Ed smiled, resting his head in the curve of the Lieutenant's waist. It was only a few minutes before he fell asleep. There was something about being curled up with Lieutenant Hawkeye that seemed to clear his mind and let him fall asleep a lot more quickly than usual, even though it was a lot earlier than he would usually go to bed.

He awoke as the sun came through the bedroom curtains. Ed scrunched his eyes closed as best he could. But it was no good. He was awake now. He checked his watch. "Quarter to seven." He thought. "I'll have to get up in a few minutes." Then Ed heard Riza yawn. She stretched her arms out and he knew she was awake now as well. "Morning." Ed said, putting his human arm around her.

"Good morning." She said sleepily. Ed began to trace circles on the bottom of Riza's foot with his toe.

"Stop that." She giggled. "That tickles."

"Stop what?" Ed asked, pressing his lips against her neck. He switched feet so his autotmail foot was now in contact with the Lieutenant's foot.

"That's really cold." Riza laughed with a slight jump as she felt the cold metal against her foot.

"Yes. My feet are cold and I need to warm them against yours." Ed replied with a smirk.

Riza, in a single movement rolled herself over and flipped Ed out of the bed and onto the floor. "If your feet are cold, you can wear my slippers. They should be around there somewhere on the floor." She laughed. "And since you're already up, you can bring me a glass of water too."

"No fair. You caught me off guard." Ed frowned, dragging his sleepy self towards the kitchen, Riza's pink slippers on his feet.

Ed returned with a glass of water and hopped back into bed beside Hawkeye. "Thank you so much." She said, still sounding a bit groggy.

"I take you don't want to go into work today either." Ed said, pulling the duvet over as much of his body as he could.

"What gave it away?" Riza asked, smirking, suddenly yanking the duvet back in her direction. "But you've got to do what you've got to do. So come on. It's time to get up."

"But I don't want to." Ed groaned.

"Ed, you want to get your body back, don't you? Well you can't do that unless you go to command and do your duties. They aren't going to let you continue your research if you're lying around in my apartment." Riza scolded, sounding quite firm. She scooped Ed up and slung him over her shoulder. She was impressively strong, and Ed being so light made it quite easy. "Being the tall one in this relationship has its perks." She laughed, carrying Ed towards the kitchen. She could almost feel him frowning at the comment. "Fix yourself something to eat. I'm using the shower first."

"We'd save a lot of time if there's room in that shower for the both of us." Ed mumbled, his face scarlet as he twiddled his thumbs.

Riza rolled her eyes but couldn't help a slight smile coming over her face. "No. Sorry." She replied. "I don't think I would be comfortable with that just yet." Her tone was gentle, but pretty firm.

"It's fine. Really, I was just asking." Ed retreated, struggling to maintain his eye contact as he blushed.

"That wasn't a 'never', by the way. It's just a bit complicated for me. It's difficult to explain right now."


	11. Confronting the Colonel

Ed was intrigued. Lieutenant Hawkeye wasn't one to display a vulnerable side, but there had been a flicker of sadness in what she'd just said, and Ed certainly noticed. But he didn't want to pry. Riza had been kind and understanding towards him since the moment they'd met, and in the last few days he'd fallen head over heels for her. The last thing he wanted to do was poke at old wounds, even if he was a bit curious as to what she meant. "I can wait." Ed shrugged. "And there's no need to explain. Just let me know when you're out of the shower, and don't worry about feeding Black Hayate. I'll take care of that." He smiled. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and he wanted her to know that.

"You'll need to know the routine before you feed Black Hayate." Riza replied, reciprocating Edward's smile. "I keep him well trained." She explained, fetching a can of dog food from the cupboard and crouching down beside the dog bowl on the floor. "It's sit, left paw, right paw and lie down. Once he follows those instructions in order, then he's allowed to eat."

"Is all that really necessary?" Ed asked, confused as to why the breakfast routine was important.

"It is. I'm his commanding officer." Hawkeye replied, cuddling with her dog.

Ed smiled. She was hard to figure out. He'd never met anyone else quite like her. Although the routine seemed a bit excessive for a hungry dog, she clearly cared a lot about Hayate. "Ok. So it's sit, left, right, lie down. I think I can remember all that." He said. "Go and take your shower. Just don't use all the hot water." He laughed.

"Thanks, Ed." She said softly, running her fingers through his hair as he crouched beside Hayate.

Riza returned a few minutes later, dressed in full uniform and her hair bound up in her usual clip. "Shower's all yours." She said, lacing up her boots. "You'll need to be quick though."

Ed cleaned himself up as quickly as he could, redressed and went out the door close behind Hawkeye. He was almost in a dead sprint trying to keep up with the pace was walking at now that they were running a little late.

When they got to command, Hawkeye knocked on Mustang's door and they heard his voice allow them both in. "Sorry we're running a little late, Colonel."

"No… not at all." He said, looking at Ed and then Riza. There was a painful silence for a few seconds. "Do you mind telling me what the hell is going on between you two?" He asked, sighing. He'd clearly had this on his mind.

"I was a little caught up in the moment when you called me the other night, sir. I apologise if I sounded disrespectful on the phone." Riza apologised before Ed could speak.

"Well… were you serious?" Mustang asked.

"We are in a relationship, if that's what you mean." She admitted.

"Well that certainly came out of nowhere." Roy replied.

"I'll be the first to admit it was all very sudden, and I'm sure Edward will agree. But with all due respect, we were both unattached. I don't feel we owe anyone an explanation."

Roy turned his back on both of them. "I know you're probably thinking I'm jealous right now. I'm not going to lie, part of me is." He said, staring out the window. "Pre-empting the next question, no I'm not in love with Riza, Ed. So I don't want to stop you from getting on with your life, and you deserve someone who does love you, Riza. But we have been through a lot. She means the world to me, Fullmetal. Every time the Lieutenant walks out the door I'm worried we might not see each other again. So you treat her better than you've treated anyone you've ever met." He said turning to Ed. "Got it?"

"You have my word." Ed replied, with a slight nod. There was a mutual feeling of respect between the two alchemists in the moment.

"Colonel," Riza began. "You have seen the devotion Ed shows to those he cares about, and the level of commitment he puts into protecting them."

"Yes. I am aware." He replied.

"You are also aware it's usually me who stops you getting yourself killed, right?" She asked, smirking.

Roy smiled back. "Yeah. That's true." He turned away again. Ed and Riza waited for a painful few seconds for Roy to say something. "I think I'm going to handle my own work today."

"Are you sure? Just you on your own? Ed asked.

"Well, I could still get Havoc to do most of it. But I don't want to get too rusty, and I've been putting it off for a while. Besides, if I'm not mistaken, you still have Marcoh's notes to decode."

"Decode? Wait, is Sheska finished transcribing them?" Ed asked.

"Yup. Just finished yesterday evening. You are aware that many alchemists write in code, aren't you? To me it appeared to look like an ordinary cookbook" He asked.

"Yeah. I've heard that they sometimes use code when they've got alchemy they don't want anyone else to find. Great alchemists have gone to all kind of lengths to keep their best findings a secret." Ed smiled, as if this was confirming his suspicions.

Roy looked at Riza. "They certainly have. Now go on, both of you get out of here and leave me to my work, before I change my mind."


	12. Progress

"Any progress, Ed?" Riza asked, easing the door to Ed and Al's apartment open. Ed looked distraught, sitting on the floor, papers scattered around him. "No luck?" She asked, sitting down on the floor beside him and placing her hand on his back.

"Luck isn't how I'd describe it." He sighed. "I managed to decode them. But…" He trailed off.

"But what? If there's an ingredient you need to find, there's bound to be some way of getting it." She replied positively.

"It's possible we could get the ingredients…" Ed shrugged. "But…"

"You're going to have to stop doing that." Hawkeye said, firmly.

Al interrupted. He was sitting in a corner, equally dejected and Riza hadn't noticed he was there. "The only way to make a philosopher's stone is by sacrificing human souls."

"That can't be right." Riza said, shaking her head in disbelief. "There's got to be another way."

"If there is, there's nothing written here about it." Ed mumbled.

"I don't pretend to know much about alchemy." Hawkeye began. "But it all boils down to equivalent exchange, right? If you could find something else of equal value, or a large enough amount of something of a lesser value, couldn't you exchange it for the same value in theory?"

Ed shrugged. "In theory, I suppose. But we're talking human lives. Thousands to get the full effect from what I can tell. How do we begin to try and come up with a trade for that? It makes me sick."

"Couldn't there be more to the code?" Riza asked.

"Maybe. But I don't think that's very likely. Wouldn't Marcoh have told us if there was something we were bound to miss?" Ed answered.

"Marcoh didn't tell us very much, brother. Lieutenant Hawkeye could be right. It did seem like he wanted us to figure it out on our own." Al said, sounding a little more positive.

"Probably because he didn't want us to be there when we found out what he was getting up to." Ed grumbled, clenching his fist. "To think of the lives he must have ruined. I'm glad his laboratory is gone for good."

"Gone for good?" Riza asked. "Didn't he work in Central? The alchemical labs in Central are all still open as far as I know."

"Not Lab 5." Al chimed in.

"Well, no. Of course not. But that was closed down even before Marcoh's time. It was turned into a prison for prisoners of war years ago. They needed another prison more than they needed another lab."

Ed went very still. "I think you've just pieced it together, Riza. You're smart enough to see what I'm saying, right?"

"Ed, you can't be serious." She replied, shaken. "If you're suggesting what I think you are, they would need pretty much everyone at the top of military and the state involved to keep it quiet? Even if they did sacrifice prisoners to make a philosopher's stone, surely someone would have let slip by now."

"Not if they're still using it. If they're still experimenting then they would have every reason to keep it quiet at whatever cost. Lab 5… Can you tell me where it is?" Ed asked.

"I can tell you where it was. We don't have any proof that it's still there. But you should wait until the morning and tell Colonel Mustang." Riza replied.

"And how do we know he's not in on it too. Everyone high up in the military, right? That's how they keep it secret." Ed sounded angry.

Riza grabbed him by his shoulders. "No matter what else might be going on, or who else might be involved, we can trust Colonel Mustang. I know that." She said. Her tone was extremely serious.

"Even so, there's no way I can sleep until I've gone there and seen for myself. At the very least there might be more information on philosopher's stones, and if there's a way to make one without sacrificing innocent lives, then I have to know." Ed replied, very determined.

"I can see you're not going to take 'no' for an answer." Riza sighed. "In which case you leave me no choice but to come with you."

"You still haven't told me where the lab is." Ed smiled. "You could stop me with that alone."

"I guess you've peaked my interest now." Riza smiled back. "I can't have you wandering the street at night trying to find it either."

"I also told Colonel Mustang earlier today that I would keep you safe." Ed continued.

"When I joined the military, that was me accepting that my career wouldn't be safe. Plus, I stop Roy from getting himself killed at least once a week." She answered.

"Lead the way, Lieutenant. Come on, Al. We're going to Lab 5."


	13. Lab 5

"I like the idea of waiting until the morning, brother." Al said, following close behind Ed and Riza as they walked down the dark street.

"What are you complaining about? I'm the one whose body still needs sleep. I'm the one with work tomorrow too." Ed said, yawning as he finished his sentence.

"I mean we're going here on our own. No one knows we're here." Al replied.

"Precisely."

"But if something happens to us, what will anyone do? They won't know how to find us." Al said, sounding worried.

"Nothing is going to happen to us. We're all going to leave the same way we're going in. We're just going to take a look around. Everyone will have gone home for the night. Even psychopaths need to sleep."

"Great. I didn't realise we were trespassing in a building of psychopaths." Al replied sarcastically.

"Well what kind of people do you think work in Lab 5?" Ed asked.

"Stop! Who goes there?!" Came a booming voice from the other side of the street. It was so loud the street almost shook.

Ed, Al and Riza looked round. In the shadows was a huge shadowy figure.

"Is that Edward Elric? Hello, Edward!" The figure bellowed.

"No mistaking that voice." Ed sighed. "I guess we've been rumbled."

It was Major Armstrong. He came sprinting across the street towards them. "A little late for the three of you to be wandering the streets of Central, wouldn't you say?"

"We could say the same to you, Major." Ed replied.

"Ah, but I find the chilling air of the evening to be most bracing. It's almost an inspiring sensation." He replied, passionately. His eyes almost filling with tears as he spoke. "But what brings you to the streets on a night like this?"

"Ed wants to break into Lab 5." Al spoke before Ed got a chance to answer.

Armstrong looked emotional again. "Elric brothers, I understand your pain and struggle of wanting to get your original bodies back." He said, tearing off his own shirt as he so often did. "But I'm afraid that Lab 5 has been closed for a very long time. I doubt they have any information of use to you." He continued.

"That's the thing, Major." Ed said, in a hushed tone. The major crouched and put his hand to his ear so that he could hear him better. "We think there's something up with Lab 5. Something going on in the military. We think it's still very active."

"Conspiracy?" He gasped. "In our own military? Our own state? Say it isn't so." He blubbed.

"Could you pipe down?!" Ed yelled at him. "That's why it's important that no one knows we're onto them."

"Of course, Edward Elric. I will personally conduct a full underground investigation, using only the men I know I can trust. We'll get to the bottom of this, and weed out any traitors in our glorious ranks." He said, standing bolt upright and saluting.

They continued until they reached the 5th laboratory. It was surrounded by concrete walls and barbed wire, which Ed quickly transmuted a hole through.

"That's funny. Not even an alarm." Ed said, as the three of them walked through the doorway he'd created. Although suddenly they felt like they were being watched. "That's how we're getting inside." Ed said, pointing at an air vent.

"An air vent?" Al asked.

"Exactly. It's the last thing they'd expect." Ed replied.

"If they've ever read a book or seen a movie, it's the first thing they'd expect." Riza smiled.

"Ok Lieutenant." Al said. "I can give you a boost up to the vent. Once you're inside, you can open the door and let us in."

"I don't think that will work." Hawkeye replied, resting her hands on her hips.

"Oh, I see. You're too big. Or too broad, I mean. You have a very maternal figure is what I'm really trying to say, and whilst it's very aesthetically pleasing, for this particular-" Al stumbled before Hawkeye interrupted.

"You can just say I won't fit through the vent." She sighed.

"Ed, you are extremely small. If I lift you up, you might be able to fit through the vent." Al said hopefully.

Ed scowled at his height being brought up again. "Yeah, that should work." He said quietly. "Get ready to lift me when I say go." Ed said, getting ready to spring towards his brother. "Now!" He shouted, charging in his direction. Al lifted him into the air. In one movement he held onto the vent and transmuted the metal grill that covered it open so that he could go get his body through.

"And now we wait." Riza said.

Ed crawled around in the ventilation shaft, looking down through grills and other openings to try and get an idea of where he was in the building. But then he saw it. Something he'd hoped he would never have to see again. A human transmutation circle. He froze for a moment, but this confirmed there was something going on in Lab 5, and he had to get to the bottom of it. He transmuted the metal grill beneath him into a flimsy looking ladder and climbed down into the large room, landing just next to the transmutation circle. As he knelt next to it to examine the circle, he heard an unfamiliar voice from the other end of the room.

"Who are you? State your business." The voice said. It was a tall suit of armour carrying a sword.

"I'm Edward Elric, a State Alchemist." He replied coldly.

"Give it up. You are but a mere child. Now tell us who you really are." The armour questioned.

Ed simply produced his pocket watch. "All the proof you need. Now beat it. I'm busy."

"I'm afraid you will have to put your business to one side. I have orders to kill anyone trespassing in this laboratory. I have no order to spare State Alchemists." The armour said.

"Some big mistakes you made, just now." Ed smirked. "You just admitted this is a Laboratory. That's not the story the state is going with."

"Irrelevant." The armour proclaimed. "You shall not be leaving this room. So anything I tell you is of no consequence."

"Mind telling me a little more then? You can start by telling me who you are. After that I wouldn't mind knowing what's been going on here."

"At last, an opponent who might be a little fun. If you defeat me, I will tell you all you want to know. But I will introduce myself. I believe in knowing your executioner by name. Sadly, I was never given that luxury." The armoured man said.

"What are you talking about?" Ed asked, suspiciously.

"I was once a common criminal. Well, that's selling it short a little. I was a little better than common. But I was a human being like any other. I killed quite a few people and one day I was caught. They were going to execute me, but instead they thought they could get more use out of me if they bonded me to a suit of armour." He said, removing his head to reveal the empty suit.


	14. Lab 5 Continued

Back outside, Al and Riza waited for Ed to open the door and let them in. "Now I've got you!" Came a shrill, shrieking voice from overhead. There was a loud clang as the figure responsible dropped through the air and struck Al with a meat cleaver. It bounced off his metal body and the sound rang around the outside of the building for several seconds before ceasing.

"Hey, what did you do that for?" Al asked, annoyed at the one who had hit him. In the dark it was hard to make out many details of their appearance.

"Well it would be difficult to dismember you without swinging my knife a little, now wouldn't it." The figure cackled. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Number 66. Although you may know me better as… Barry the Chopper!"

There were a few seconds of awkward silence. "I'm not familiar." Al said.

"What? I'm a pretty famous guy." Barry explained. "Well maybe the name has slipped your mind, but I'm the most dangerous killer in Central."

"Not really. In fact there's this guy with a scar on his face that has the whole military looking for him." Al replied.

"What? The whole military? Well no one likes a showoff. Besides, it's quality, not quantity when it comes to murders. Mine are some of the finest of all time. Like the Tomlin Street stabbing!" Barry boasted.

Al scratched his metal head. "Still not ringing any bells."

"Are you kidding? It took weeks to identify the body. The woman who found it didn't leave the house for a year. It was all over the Central papers for weeks." Barry flustered.

"I'm not originally from Central. I grew up in Resembool." Al explained.

"Well that's a relief." Barry giggled, wiping his brow. "Here I was thinking I was getting stale, and all along it was just your hick town being uninformed. And now that that's over, on with proceedings!" Barry screamed, again charging at Al with his knife. Suddenly he was hit with several bullets and fell backwards with a dull thud. "No fair. You never said you brought backup. Basic fairness would see all those wishing to be butchered by Barry the Chopper to form an orderly… an order… an-" He stammered, as he finally looked in the direction of the shooter.

"Drop the knife." Hawkeye said firmly, keeping the guns fixed on her target.

"Oh wow." Barry said in admiration, still clinging to his knife. "I've been locked up in this stinking joint for 5 years and finally I have a visitor… and she's hot!" Barry squealed.

Riza pulled the trigger again. "I'm not going to tell you again. Put the gun down." She commanded as another bullet hit Barry between the eyes.

Ed ducked a swing from Slicer and jumped a couple of feet back to put himself out of range.

"I'm a little surprised you weren't more startled by my empty armour." Slicer said. He sounded quite calm speaking while he fought. "That usually gets people."

"Well, this isn't the first time I've seen a soul bonded to a suit of armour." Ed explained, transmuting the ground into some spikes. Slicer quickly regained his balance and continued his offensive.

"It isn't? That's interesting. Are there many others practicing soul bonding on the outside?" Slicer asked, lunging his sword at Ed's head before it was blocked by a barricade transmuted out of the wall.

"Not often." He replied. "But I had no choice. My brother lost his body when we performed human transmutation."

"Human transmutation? Well don't worry. You're among friends here then. We've seen our fair share of human transmutation attempts in Lab 5." Slicer laughed, swinging at Ed again and clipping his shoulder. Ed clenched his teeth with the pain of the slight gash left in his shoulder by the blade. "Tell me, is your brother the one outside that 66 is fighting right now?"

"I don't who this 66 guy is, but if he's outside then yeah. That sounds about right." Ed said, raising himself on a transmuted platform so that he could kick him in the chest.

"That was a good one. Almost lost my balance there." Slicer said, stumbling backwards. "But you're losing blood now, becoming tired and without the use of an arm. I on the other hand do not tire and am very difficult to damage. Whilst I hope you keep fighting right to the very end, I would understand if you feel it would be more dignified to die in one piece."

"Dignity is overrated." Ed said, transmuting his automail into a blade and clashing with Slicer.

"A sentiment I can certainly agree with." Slicer said, pushing Ed backwards. Ed suddenly transmuted the wall and ground so that he could run up it and backflip off. Slicer caught the bottom of his foot as he passed overhead, drawing blood from his foot. Ed took hold of Slicer's helmet however, and pulled it from his shoulders.

"Alright, I win." Ed gloated. "Now, you can start telling me exactly what's been going on here."

"Guess again." The head replied. As Ed looked up, Slicer's sword caught him across the neck quite badly before he could completely get himself out of the way. He dropped Slicer's head and took a few steps back, trying to cover his wound with his human arm, also bleeding from the shoulder, and hobbling with one of his feet bleeding as well. "Two souls bonded to the one suit of armour. I have a brother too, you see. But I kept my cards close to my chest."

"Very clever." Ed spluttered as a couple of tears ran down his cheek. He really didn't see any way back. Suddenly there was the sound of gunfire, and Slicer dropped his sword as the bullets ricocheted off of his hands. "Riza!" Ed called out. "Be careful, he's-" Riza fired again before Ed could finished his sentence and Slicer's body dropped dead.

"Barry told me where his blood seal would be." Riza said, pointing over her shoulder at the other armoured man with them.

"Barry? You mean that armour guy? How do we know he's on our side." Ed asked.

"Still alive, aren't you?" Barry giggled.

"What is the meaning of this?" Slicer's head asked, still alive. "We agreed that the two of us would battle. We did not discuss any allies."

"Maybe I was keeping my cards close to my chest." Ed said, kicking Slicer's head a few feet away.

"Hardly the same. We only used the one body. And Number 66, you were supposed to be taking care of these intruders. Or have you forgotten your orders?" Slicer asked, angrily.

"It's not like we're getting paid you know. And I'd rather be bossed around by a strong, blonde woman than a bony, sulking homunculus. Plus I've struck a deal that gets me out of here." Barry said.

"Wait, what did you say about a homunculus?" Ed interrupted, the word catching his attention.

"But you like chopping people up. You can chop people up all you want in here. If you chop people up out there, they will probably execute you for real." Slicer continued, as if Ed hadn't even spoken.

"I've found someone who I think I actually prefer in one piece." Barry giggled.

"Hello!" Ed interrupted again. "Isn't anyone going to answer my question? You said you were taking orders from a homunculus. That's a word I've only ever read. I've never heard anyone actually mention seeing one, let alone taking orders from one."

"You're new to the whole unethical laboratory thing, aren't you." Barry replied. "All the dark sides of alchemy that people want you to forget about go on in here. Homunculi, soul bonding, chimeras. You name it."

"What about philosopher's stones?" Ed asked.


	15. Top Dog

"Yes." Barry answered, nodding his helmet of a head. "Not that they ever let me see, of course. But I caught whispers. I saw documents they were stupid enough to leave lying around. I know it goes on, even if I've never seen the stones myself.

"Ed, I'm sorry. But you're in no condition to stay here and look around. We can come back some other time." Riza said.

"Not an option." Ed mumbled trying to get back to his feet. "When whoever runs this place comes back tomorrow, they'll know we've been here. We can't possibly hide it. I mean we killed Slicer, and it sounds like Barry isn't sticking around either."

"No, I'm certainly not." Barry replied. "I'm going back to the outside, where everyone will be terrified of my empty armour."

"Brother!" Al cried, as Ed collapsed to the floor again.

"Quickly. He's lost a lot of blood." Ed heard Riza say, just before he passed out.

When he woke up, he was in Riza's bed. "What happened? We were in Lab 5. What about the philosopher's stone?"

"We have good news and bad news." Al said, standing at his bedside. "Barry did some sniffing around for us. He found a big transmutation circle in Lab 5, and his memory is very good, so he was able to draw it for us. It's the same circle we read about for creating philosopher's stones."

"So they were creating stones there. But why? Horrible as it is, with just prisoners, they won't have been able to create many, or very durable ones." Ed said, thinking.

"Maybe those were just small scale tests." Riza shrugged. "What is a lab for after all?"

"I think you're right." Ed said. This was why he loved Riza. Nothing clouded her thoughts. She was brilliantly logical. "Did Barry tell you about the homunculi? How did they take over Lab 5 without the military stopping them? And you said there was more bad news too."

"Lab 5 is gone." Al said, looking at the ground.

"Gone? How could it be gone?" He said, trying to sit up, then lying back down after a sharp pain in his neck.

"Rest." Riza said, placing her hand on his head. "We're worried… that the homunculi have infiltrated the military. Probably pretty high up to be doing all this under the Fuhrer's nose. Not long after you passed out, there was an explosion and the building collapsed. It was all we could do to get you out. That's why you're here and not in hospital."

"Must have been some sort of fail safe. Destroying the evidence. Maybe we triggered it when we broke in, or when you shot Slicer. But we're having to fly under the radar. I see." Ed said, nodding as best he could. "How long was I out?"

"About three days." Riza replied.

"Three days? Colonel Mustang is going to kill me. I haven't been to work in three days." Ed panicked.

"I've explained to the Colonel. I told you. If there's anyone we can trust it's him. But you lost quite a lot of blood and your wounds are deeper than they looked at first. You're going to need to stay in bed for another few days at least." Riza insisted.

"But I can't just stay here. We don't know what they're planning. If they were just doing small scale tests in Lab 5, what happens if they're planning to use the military to capture a whole country of sacrifices?"

"That's exactly why I spoke to the Major yesterday." Riza said.

"I remember now. He said he was going to look into Lab 5, didn't he?" Ed asked, trying to recall the events more clearly.

"He already is. He's chosen a few of his most trustworthy and they're making good progress last I heard. But it's important you rest." She turned to Al. "Al, can you take Hayate for a walk? I'm going to cook some dinner for Ed. He hasn't eaten in half a week."

Whilst it was killing him to be so powerless to help, lying there in Hawkeye's bed with dinner cooking seemed like something he could get used to. Ed smiled to himself before he dozed off again.

"Ed?" He heard Riza saying, gently shaking his arm. "Come on, I've brought dinner for you."

Ed eased his eyes open. "Oh, sorry." He smiled. "I must have fallen asleep again."

"No need to apologise." Riza chuckled. "You're in rough shape. Rest is important. But food is important too." She said, sitting down on the bed. Black Hayate jumped up on the bed as well and sat on the pillow next to Ed's head. Hayate began sniffing around the plate.

"Get your own dinner." Ed frowned at Hayate.

"Now Black Hayate, I already fed you earlier. Get down off the bed." Riza said.

Hayate just whined and sat on the pillow. "She said no, Hayate. And get off my pillow."

"Ed, don't be mean. If he's still hungry, he's still hungry. You wouldn't like it if you were him and someone didn't share with you." Riza replied. There was almost a smug look on Hayate's face as Hawkeye handed him a piece of chicken off of Ed's plate. Riza handed Ed the plate. "There's enough there for you both to share."

Hayate whimpered in his face. Ed waited until Riza had left the room. "You've had your dinner. This is mine." He whispered. Hayate continued whining. Ed smirked. "Oh you would like another piece of chicken? Then go and get it." He said, throwing the piece out of the bedroom and into the hall. Hayate swiftly followed after it. Ed grinned and clapped his hands and stretching down to reach the rug on the floor. The rug whipped the door closed and Ed dusted his hands in satisfaction. "Haha. Stupid dog." He said to himself. He heard Hayate whining outside the door, and the sound of his paws scratching at the closed door almost immediately. "Sorry. Can't let you in." Ed said. "I'm under strict orders to stay in bed." He smiled.

"Ed!" He heard Riza scold from the hall. The door opened. "Did you put Hayate out in the hall?"

"No. He went there himself. I just closed the door to make sure I'd get some peace and quiet." He answered. Riza opened the door again and Hayate bounded back up on the bed and took his seat back on the pillow. "What did you do that for?" Ed asked.

"He's come to see you when you're ill. That's nice of him. You could at least pet him and share a little food."

"I didn't ask him to come and see me, and he's hogging my pillow, and I haven't eaten in three days, and this greedy fleabag still wants my dinner." Ed frowned.

Riza put her hand on his forehead. "I know it's frustrating being stuck here when we don't know what these homunculi are up to." She said sympathetically. "But it's all you can do right now. You'll be back on your feet in a couple of days. Until then you'll need to stay in bed. I brought you some painkillers. They're pretty strong, so you may feel a bit funny at first."


	16. Nightmare

The last thing Ed remembered, he'd been lying next to Riza, with Black Hayate curled up in the curve of Hawkeye's waist. Where Ed had wanted to be. But now, looking around him… It couldn't be. It was his old house in Resembool. He felt a bit sick, both at the memories and those painkillers from earlier. Those hadn't felt good.

"Hello, Ed." Said a voice.

Ed looked around and spotted Black Hayate sitting on the floor of his room in his old house. "Black… Hayate?" He asked. "You can talk? And this is my old house… which I burned down."

"Yes I can, and yes… it is." He replied. There was almost a sinister tone to his voice.

"Last I remember we were in Riza's bedroom. So that makes this… a dream?"

"You tell me. You're supposed to be the scientist, aren't you, Fullmetal Alchemist?" Hayate asked, smugly.

"Wise guy, huh?" Ed replied. "Well, beat it. I don't seem to be dreaming about any food, and if I was what makes you think any of it would be for you?"

"Riza is my mommy." Hayate replied.

"I think your mommy is most likely a dog, like you. Lieutenant Hawkeye is a human, like me." Ed said, pointing at Hayate and then at himself. "Riza just gives you somewhere to stay so you aren't out on the street."

"No. Mommy has had me forever, as long as I can remember." Hayate said.

"Well that's wrong for a start. Sergeant Fuery found you, and no one wanted you. So Hawkeye got stuck with you. Talk about bad luck. If it had been me, you'd have gone straight to the pound."

"Mommy has had me as long as I remember." He said again.

"Your memory isn't very long then, is it? So listen to daddy and go away." Ed said, turning his back on him. "You were annoying me enough while I was awake without invading my dreams too."

"You aren't daddy. Daddy is another man. Taller." Hayate replied, tauntingly. "He's very busy right now, so he hasn't been here in a while. That's why you're here now. But he'll be back soon, and you won't be needed any more."

"Maybe you can introduce me and I can punch his sorry face. Dream or no dream, I could use a good workout having been stuck in bed for a few days." Ed grinned.

"His name, his name..." Hayate pretended to think. "Mommy calls him so many things. Usually 'sir'. But sometimes Colonel, or Roy."

Ed's face turned sour. "This isn't technically real, so I'm going to pretend you didn't say that. Now beat it before I burn this house down again and leave you inside."

"He is much nicer than you. He loves dogs. He brings me food and pets me. It feels lonely without him. You aren't nice to dogs and take up all Mommy's time." Hayate teased.

"I take up all her time? What about you?" Ed asked. "You always need fed or walked or something. At least I'm trying to be helpful. If you're lonely, go and find some other dogs to live with and stop expecting humans to do everything for you."

"Riza wouldn't like you saying that, Ed." Hayate replied.

"What does it matter? This conversation isn't even technically happening, and you can't even talk in real life." Ed answered.

"If it's not real, then why is it bothering you so much?" Hayate asked. "Unless you know what I'm saying is true. It shouldn't be long now. Daddy will be done with his work, and he'll come back and I won't be lonely any more."

Ed laughed. "Good luck. Even if something was going on behind my back, Colonel Mustang will never be finished with his work. Pigs will fly before that happens."

"Of course... I still feel lonely sometimes, even when they are together." Hayate continued, ignoring Ed's laughter. "Sometimes, I do get lonely when they close the bedroom door and I have to sleep in the hall." Hayate continued, as provocatively as he could. "It's so difficult to sleep with all the noise they make. She calls him 'Roy' a lot when the door is closed. But it's usually only for an hour or so. Then they stop and it's quiet again for a while."

"Shut up." Ed grumbled, clenching his fist.

"But it's all for the best. They're just trying to make more puppies. Then there will be lots of Black Hayate's running around. I will always be their favourite though, and I'll never be lonely with all the other Black Hayate's to keep me company."

"I said be quiet, you stupid dog!" Ed shouted, waking up. He lifted Black Hayate with his automail arm and flung him off the bed, onto the floor.

"Ed?! What the hell are you doing?" Riza screamed at him, slapping him across the face. "You've really hurt him now." She said, scooping Hayate back up.

"I.. I didn't mean to." Ed said, realising what he had done.

"You threw him off the bed as hard as you could. I just saw you. He was just sleeping. He wasn't bothering you at all." She picked up the whimpering dog, who looked very confused. "And why, because you had to give some of your food to him earlier? Real mature, Ed."

Riza didn't come back to bed all night, and Ed didn't sleep at all. When the sun came through the curtains, he dragged his aching self out of bed to see where she was. She was in the living room on the couch with Hayate, whose paw was bandaged.

"Lieutenant?" Ed asked. "I'm really sorry. Is Black Hayate ok?" Ed sighed. He had a lump in his throat and felt pretty awful about what he'd done.

"He'll be ok. He'll probably be limping for a little while though." She replied. "Why did you throw him onto the floor like that? He hit the ground pretty hard. If he'd landed on his head, this could be a lot worse. For him and for you."

"I'm not going to try and make excuses. It was completely my fault. I was tense about what we found out in Lab 5, and being so powerless right now, and I had been a little frustrated at Black Hayate earlier. But that's not why I threw him off the bed. I promise." Ed replied.

"That sounds a lot like you are making excuses, and it doesn't answer my question. You told him to 'be quiet' just before you threw him on the ground. But he hadn't been making any noise. Care to explain." Riza questioned.

"I was… Now this is going to sound stupid. I had a nightmare." Ed said, breaking the little eye contact he had been able to keep.

"A nightmare? Even in a nightmare, what could this little guy do to make you throw him off the bed and sprain his paw?" Riza asked in disbelief.

"Well, in the dream it looked like Black Hayate, but it also wasn't." Ed tried to explain. "I'm explaining this badly, I know. But it started in my old house in Resembool. The one I burnt down." Ed explained as Riza nodded along, trying to keep track of his strange story. "Black Hayate could talk… and he was being quite unkind."

"You threw a helpless, sleeping puppy onto the floor because in a dream he wasn't saying nice things to you?" Riza asked, scathingly.

"Not exactly. It felt weird. Kind of like when I opened the portal of truth, when I attempted human transmutation." Ed answered.

"Don't you think you're being a bit melodramatic?" Riza asked.

"That's how the dream felt. I can't really explain it. The voice seemed so similar to when I opened the portal somehow. But whatever this thing was that looked like Hayate, it knew just what to say to get me really angry. I knew it was a dream, but it just got under my skin. Maybe it was the painkillers messing with my head or something, but when I woke up, that anger was still there for a second. I'm really, really sorry. Do you forgive me?" Ed asked, sounding genuinely torn up.

"Ed, of course I forgive you. I'm really pissed off. But there's no question that I do. But you're apologising to the wrong person." She said.

Ed resisted every urge to correct that Hayate was a dog and not a person. He knew that wouldn't be smart. "I'm sorry, Black Hayate. That was a really stupid thing for me to have done, and I promise I won't do that again. I promise I'll be nicer to you than I was yesterday too."

"So if you'd been having a nightmare about me, would you have thrown me onto the floor?" Riza smirked.

"Are you crazy? You'd have had some reversal move up your sleeve and I would have ended up on the floor." He laughed.


	17. Piecing it Together

"I am sorry." Ed said to Black Hayate. He's was back in bed on Riza's orders, as was Black Hayate. "It wasn't you I was angry at. Just someone who looked a lot like you." Hayate looked quite puzzled, but just sat on the pillow, quietly. "I mean, I was a little annoyed with you." Ed admitted. "But I wouldn't have thrown you off the bed just for being a greedy puppy, and I am sorry for doing it."

"Good. Now I know you mean it, and you weren't just saying it for my benefit." Said Riza. She was standing cross-armed and smirking in the doorway. "Now I've got two boys to take care of until they can get back on their feet. Lucky me." She sighed.

"Don't you worry." Ed smiled, clenching his fist. "I'll not be wasting any time. As soon as I possibly can, I'll be back on my feet to get to the bottom of this homunculi mystery. I'm not letting Major Armstrong have all the fun."

"He called earlier." Riza said. "I took some notes, and he had a few questions. He needs to know everything you know about homunculi for a start."

"I don't know a lot." Ed replied. "It's one of those shady parts of alchemy that's pretty unethical, and extremely difficult. The definition and process varies depending on who you ask, but basically it boils down to creating a something similar to a human with alchemy."

"Isn't that basically human transmutation?" Riza asked.

"No. Not quite. You're not creating a soul or trying to get lost a soul back. I've come to understand that can't be done." Ed replied, shaking his head. "Not with anything. Not even with a philosopher's stone. As far as I know, it's done by creating a body, much like with human transmutation. But the soul is taken from an existing source, some say it can even be a piece of someone's soul that they can separate and preserve. Though I'm not sure if that's possible. It's then attached to the created body, kind of like how I bonded Al to his armour, and there's your homunculus."

"But why bother? If a homunculus body is just the same as being a normal human then where's the advantage?" Hawkeye asked.

"Bodies age. Maybe someone wanted to be able to give themselves a new one." Ed shrugged. "That's one reason off the top of my head. Someone could have been ill, or needed a stronger body. Or…" Ed paused. "If they've got philosopher's stones, they might have been creating bodies that couldn't die." Ed sat up.

"Ed, please lie down. You're not ready to get back up yet. And what you're saying… is it even possible?" Riza asked, concerned.

"Well, how does someone die? They lose too much blood, or their organs fail, or they can't breathe or whatever else. But what if your soul was literally bonded to a philosopher's stone around which your whole body was constructed?" Ed pondered aloud. "No need for equivalent exchange. If you lose an arm, you could reconstruct another one out of nothing."

"But what does it mean?" Riza asked.

"It means Al and I can get our bodies back." Ed said, getting out of bed with much difficulty. He began putting on his coat. "Get the Major on the phone, and then I'm going to need to make a call to a meat shop in Dublith."

"Ed, you aren't ready. You could end up making yourself a whole lote worse if you get into trouble again in this condition. And why do I need to call a meat shop in Dublith?" Riza asked.

"Believe or not, that's where we're getting our next lead.

"So you're saying that someone's trying to create immortal homunculi?" Major Armstrong asked, sat at the dining room table of his family mansion.

"No way to tell until we've seen them. But it makes sense with the philosopher's stones. I fear there may be no 'trying to' about it. If they've infiltrated the military this successfully, there's every chance they've got what they need." Ed answered from the other end of the huge table.

"What was that, Edward? You'll need to speak up from over there." Armstrong called back from his end of the room.

"Major, this is a sweet pad you've got and all… but I can see a pretty immediate drawback of a table this big. Isn't there anywhere else we can have this discussion."

"Who do you think is behind all this?" Armstrong asked, reconvening to one of the living rooms.

"I wish I knew. We haven't even run into any homunculi so far. We only have that Barry the Chopper guy's word that they're real. I heard he's staying with you." Ed replied.

"Yes, he is. Relatively easy guest to cater for. Doesn't need to eat. Doesn't need a bed to sleep in. I'm keeping him in the tool shed for now. Lots of sharp things for him to play with in there." Armstrong said.

"Good… uh, good thinking. But anyway, Izumi, my old teacher is getting the next train down from Dublith. She should be here tomorrow, all being well." Ed smiled.

"And you think she has leads on the philosopher's stone?"

"Yes, I think she might have some information that might be able to help us if we can explain the situation. She had quite a few books that mentioned the stone when I was studying with her. Not looking forward to explaining how my body became this way however." Ed said.

"Human transmutation is the greatest sin of the alchemic world." Armstrong nodded. "What you were saying about someone hiding the evidence on the phone. I think you might be right. It's a little odd that the library burned down and Lab 5 mysteriously blew up, wouldn't you say?"

Ed nodded.

"And whilst you could have triggered some kind of alarm by breaking into Lab 5, that wouldn't explain the fire that destroyed all of the books in the library. What I'm saying is, I fear someone might be keeping an eye on you, Edward Elric." The major continued in a hushed tone. "I have Lieutenant Colonel Hughes investigating the matter as we speak."


	18. Izumi

"Teacher!" Al called out as Izumi came into view from the crowd stepping off the train.

"Al, no offence, but I'm not sure Teacher is going to recognize you right away." Ed whispered, nudging his brother.

"Oh, right sorry. I just thought she might not be able to see you with all the these grown ups and you being so small." Al replied.

Ed frowned and clenched his fist. He often did this when anyone remarked height. "Lift me up on your shoulders." Ed grumbled. He knew Al was right.

Izumi's gaze was immediately caught by the unusual sight of the tiny State Alchemist atop a suit of armour. "Edward. It's good to see you." Izumi replied, making her way towards them. She was followed by a gigantic man, taller even than Alphonse now was.

"Hello, Teacher." It's been a long time. Ed smiled.

"Um… Teacher, you might not recognize me right away." Al began.

"Al, there's no need to boast about how tall you've gotten." Izumi replied. She turned to Ed. "This is why I said you need to drink milk, Ed."

"How silly of me." Ed muttered. "That's definitely why Al is so tall."

"Al, aren't you too warm in there?" Izumi asked. "I know it's nearly evening, but I would have thought it would get extremely warm walking around in armour like that."

"No, really. It's better this way." Al replied, not wishing to explain that his body was now lost. "It saves me bringing a coat with me."

"And I'm sure you remember my husband." She continued, pointing to the giant man behind her.

"Of course. Good afternoon, Mr Sig." Ed said, extending a hand. He smiled and accepted Ed's handshake though didn't say anything.

They returned to Major Armstrong's mansion. The major brought them cups of tea on fancy tray.

"You certainly are very dexterous to handle such fine china with such big hands." Izumi said, noting the dainty way in which the Major poured the tea into small cups.

"This is the grace and table manners that have been passed down through the Armstrong line for generations." He declared, proudly.

"You boys said you needed to discuss a matter of great importance. Something to do with philosopher's stones." Izumi said.

"Yes. It is important." Ed began. "There's something going on in the military, and we're extremely worried."

"Go on." Izumi replied.

"Well, we've been… looking… for a philosopher's stone. Because…" Ed tried to say.

"Ed, I am more than aware about your body and Al's body. Your two feet make different sounds when you walk, Al's armour reverberates as if it were empty, and you've kept your right hand in your coat pocket this entire time." Izumi answered.

"I guess. I have some explaining to do. We attempted human transmutation when our mother died." He said. Izumi suddenly looked saddened, but not angry like he had expected. "You aren't mad."

"Edward, I am furious. But I can kick both of your butts later. Right now… right now, it's important I get all the information." She said.

"I lost a couple of limbs, and Al lost his whole body. But luckily we both pulled through. When that happened, the military became keen to recruit us. The Fuhrer was extremely impressed to hear we had survived human transmutation, and I became a State Alchemist so we could research the philosopher's stone and get our bodies back." Ed explained.

"And? Any luck." Izumi asked.

"Maybe. I mean, yes. I think we can get them back. It definitely seems that way. But from what I've found so far, the only way to get a philosopher's stone is by sacrificing human lives, and a lot if you want a powerful, durable one, with no chance of a rebound." Ed said.

"If that's why you brought me here, Ed, I'm afraid you've summed up all I know on the matter. There are replicas that can be made, but I wouldn't ever risk trying to tamper with your body with one." Izumi answered.

"Yeah, I know. I've seen the fakes. A priest in Liore had been using one to trick people into thinking he was a messenger of God. There was a rich guy in Xenotime who made an artificial stone out of a toxin called 'red water'. But the fakes are unpredictable. Both times I saw them rebound after a few uses. So, no. That's not why I asked you to come here."

"We're investigating something important, Mrs. Curtis." Armstrong interjected. "An informant from a secret Laboratory told us he had been taking orders from a homunculus."


	19. Funeral Preparations

"We got a description." Ed said, returning to Riza's apartment. He flicked on a light. Hawkeye was lying on the couch with Black Hayate, looking quite forlorn. "We know what we're looking for now. Barry said one of the homunculi is a pretty girl with dark hair, and the other is a shapeshifter, but they usually have long green hair, and it's hard to tell if they're a boy or a girl." Ed continued. "What's wrong?"

"Maes Hughes is dead." She replied, gazing at the wall. "Murdered."

"What?" Ed couldn't believe what he had heard. "Murdered? It must have been scar. That bastard." Ed said, biting his lip to hold back the feeling of oncoming tears.

"It could have been." Riza replied. As weary as she sounded, she wasn't overly emotional, and didn't sound like crying. "It didn't look like one of his murders though. Not like any of the other officers he's killed. Lieutenant Colonel Hughes was shot at point blank range. We have no record of Scar using firearms before. Now Ed," She began. "I don't want you blaming yourself for any of this. I know how you can beat yourself up. But he was investigating the potential corruption within the military when he was shot. He fled to use a payphone to contact Colonel Mustang."

"Did he tell him anything? Anything that could identify who did this?" Ed sounded desperate.

"Yes. Just one thing." She said "They have-"

Ed interrupted. "Ouroboros tattoos?" He asked.

"How did you know?"

"I was just getting to that when I came in. It was homunculi. They killed him. They killed him and it's all my fault." Ed collapsed on the ground.

"Ed, come on. Pull yourself together. I know this is hurting you. It's hurting me too. But it's not your fault. The blame rests solely with his killers." She tried to comfort him.

"But he must have found something they didn't want him to find. That's because of me. I needed him to investigate this."

"And what about Major Armstrong? Is it his fault? He commissioned the investigation. But no, it isn't. Whilst this is a horrible thing to have happened, sadly a career in the military always carries these risks. But the last thing he'd want you to do is sit around and blame yourself. Maes would want you to haul ass, find what they're hiding and make sure his sacrifice wasn't in vain." Riza said powerfully.

"You're right." Ed said, wiping a couple of stray tears from his eyes. "He was just so kind to Al and I when we first came to Central. How am I going to look his family in the eye when I know that it was an investigation that I asked for that got him killed?"

"Ed, if what he found was worth killing him over to someone, it must have been very, very important. His sacrifice may save a lot of other people, and prevent something truly evil from happening. That is exactly what this job is about." Riza replied, helping Ed over to the couch. "Come here." She said, pulling him towards her, pressing her lips against his. "We can lick our wounds for now, sure. It's normal to grieve. But we can't let it stop us getting to the bottom of what's going on. They get away with it if we do that."

Ed was woken by the feeling of something running down his face. He had fallen asleep on the couch, resting his head on Lieutenant Hawkeye's shoulder again. He touched his face. "Water?" He thought to himself. He adjusted his body and looked up at Riza, lying next to him. It was still quite dark, but he could see tears running down her face onto his.

"Riza?" He asked, shaking her arm. "Riza, are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Ed." She tried to smile.

"Riza, you're not fine. But it's ok to be upset." Ed said. He had never seen Riza particularly emotional before. Even through the grimmest situations, she always looked like nothing got to her.

"I'm not crying because Maes Hughes is gone, Ed. That does make me very sad, but the truth is, I'm not really sure why I'm crying." She said, stroking his hair.

"What do you mean? There's got to be a reason. And I promise I'll help you, whatever it is." Ed promised.

"That's very kind of you, Ed." She whispered, wiping her eyes. "It's difficult to explain. You know I fought a war in Ishval, and it was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. It started out of nowhere. A lot of innocent people died. Some of them because I had to follow orders."

"It's like you said though. That's what a career in the military is." Ed replied.

"I could have quit. I could have deserted. I could have walked away and said 'I'm not going to follow orders I believe to be wrong'. Some people did. Better, braver people than me. I feel like I've brought more hurt than I can ever hope to heal." She answered.

"There is no one better and braver than you. You were just using your head. Even though the war was wrong, it was going to happen whether you'd deserted or not. You'd have been court martialed for deserting and probably executed. But you're alive, and you can help change the military from the inside and make sure nothing like that ever happens again." Ed said, comfortingly. "That's what I'm trying to do."

"That's what Maes was trying to do. That's what Roy is trying to do. There's a lot of people trying. But who knows who is really calling the shots in the military any more?" She asked rhetorically. "Don't worry about me, Ed. Everything I said earlier I still believe. I am true to my values. Sometimes that's just difficult."

"I understand completely." Ed smiled. "Come on. You'll sleep better in your own room than on the couch." He added standing up and extending his hand out to her.

Black Hayate was asleep at the foot of the bed already. "Aww." She smiled. "Be careful not to wake him." Riza said, slipping into bed.

"Wake him?" Ed whispered. "Considering he managed to forgive me throwing him 7 feet in the air last time, I think he'll get over it if I wake him."

Riza smirked. Even though she had been furious at Ed that day, she was able to laugh a little about it now that Hayate's paw wasn't so bad.

When Ed woke up Riza wasn't beside him. He got up and went to the living room where she was putting on her boots.

"Good, you're awake." She said. "I'm sorry about last night. I probably seemed stupid."

"Stupid? Are you have every right to be emotional sometimes. Everyone does. And with what you went through in Ishval, I can't imagine how strong you must be to be as resilient as you are. I was a wreck for days after Tucker turned his daughter into a Chimera. I still tear up sometimes because of that."

"That was a dark day." She nodded. "And thank you. I'm glad you weren't there in Ishval. It's important that there are people left without those scars in the military."

"Where are you going?" Ed asked, seeing her dressed to leave.

"Funeral preparations for Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes. Bleak, but it has to be done. He's being promoted a couple of ranks. It seems fitting considering he died serving the military." She replied.

"I just wonder if any of the bastards behind it will have the nerve to show up to his funeral. In front of the family, pretending to share their grief." Ed said, getting angry at the thought.

"I might be back fairly late in the evening. It's Roy. He's not holding up well at all. He and Maes were very good friends, and he was on the phone with him when he was shot. He heard his final moments." Riza explained.

Ed felt a touch of jealousy creep over him when she said she'd be spending the day with Colonel Mustang. The nightmare with the talking Black Hayate had got under his skin pretty badly. But he knew her reasons were fair. "That doesn't sound easy to get over." He said.

"Could I ask a huge favour? Could you have something ready to eat when I get back?" Riza asked.

"Cook something? I mean I could try, but I'm not really sure what I'd make." Ed said a little worried at the prospect.

"Or get something delivered." Riza shrugged. "You'd know which places deliver the best food."

Whilst this was true, Ed was determined to look like a grown up. "No, that's ok. I'll think of something to make. I can't promise it'll be too fancy. But it'll be here when you get home."

"That's very sweet of you, Ed. Don't worry about that. I'll be grateful of a hot meal, whatever it is. I grew up with plain noodles, remember."

"Yeah." Ed blushed. He wasn't even fully sure he knew how to make even that.


	20. Dinner with Homunculi

"Not now, Black Hayate." Ed said, as the little dog chewed at the leg of his pants. He stared out the window above the kitchen sink in Riza's apartment. Whilst the window was pretty small, and didn't let a lot of natural light in, looking out of it now, this was a pretty good view. He'd immediately been taken with the densely packed city when he first came to Central. But with all his work, he'd quickly grown to numb to his new environment. But it was a nice place. Hundreds of little streets, each one full of their own stories.

"Now I'm just trying to distract myself." Ed said, returning to reality. "C'mon, Black Hayate. If you don't let me think of something to cook, I'm not going to have time to walk you at all." He said, turning his attention to the persistent puppy at his feet. His paw had healed pretty well now, though there was still a subtle limp when he was walked more than a few steps. "Unless you want me to cook you." He laughed, lifting him up so they were face to face. "I think you'd make a good little pot roast." He joked, setting him down again. "Just lucky for you I don't know how to make a pot roast, or you'd be in my stomach and I'd be in the doghouse." He laughed, petting him on the head. "I'm only foolin'." He added, as the dog whimpered. "Fine." Ed sighed. "We'll go for a walk. A short walk. You shouldn't be going too far with your paw like that right now anyway. Maybe I'll see something that will give me an idea of what to make."

Ed took Hayate to the usual alley where he'd run around. "Forget it, Black Hayate. I'm not letting you run around off the leash today. You know the Lieutenant would kill me if anything happened to you. I'm on thin ice after I threw you off the bed." He explained. The dog made sad eyes and whined. "Don't look at me like that. I know it's my fault your paw hurts. But it will be better soon. If I can spend a year learning to walk with automail, you can wait a couple more days before your paw returns to normal."

Suddenly he heard a familiar voice from the other end of the alley. "Ed? Fullmetal Alchemist, is that you?" It was Sergeant Fuery.

"Sergeant Fuery. What are you doing here? And what happened?" He asked, looking at his torn shirt and the dirt on his hands and knees.

"It's good to see you, Ed. And good to see you as well, Black Hayate. I saw them. I think I found him." He spoke very quickly, clearly panicked.

"Who? Is it Scar?" Ed asked, clenching a fist.

"No. He's disappeared recently. It's the one I think killed Lieutenant Colonel Hughes. They had an Ouroboros tattoo." He replied.

"Do you know where he went?" Ed asked.

"Yes. I think so. I was going to go and get the Colonel, but you're a State Alchemist too. I'm sure we can handle them between us." Fuery replied.

"Lead the way."

They came to a bridge just as it began to rain. "Under the bridge." Fuery said. "That's where they went. They ran away when I saw them. I chased after them as best I could, but they were really, really fast. I watched for a couple of minutes before I found you. They didn't come out again. There's a good chance they're still there now."

They crept to the canal bank that the bridge passed over and took cover behind a small wall, listening to try and pick up anything they were saying.

"But I'm still hungry." They heard a childlike voice say.

"Well too bad." An angry sounding voice replied. "I've brought you three people today. If I keep snatching more, people will get suspicious. As pitiful as they are, humans have an annoying habit of getting in the way."

"I smell someone new." The first voice said.

Edward saw this as his time to confront the two. He rounded the corner, Sergeant Fuery closely following. "Alright, time for some explanations." Ed said, flashing his watch. "I'm a State Alchemist."

"Yeah, we know. You're the Fullmetal Pipsqueak." The angry voice replied, uninterested.

Ed could see them now. The angry voice was lean, with long, green hair, and seemingly genderless. He clenched his fist. "Don't call me pipsqueak!" He barked.

"Alright, alright." They protested. "Now leave us alone. Go home."

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Ed said angrily. "You see, you match a description of someone I know to be homunculus, and you have an Ouroboros tattoo. You're the one who killed Maes Hughes!" Ed exploded, handing Hayate's leash to Fuery, transmuting his automail into a blade and charging at the green haired one.

They quickly evaded Ed's attacks and punched him in the stomach, knocking him to the ground. "I think you must be confusing me with someone who… looks a lot like me." They laughed, transforming their body."

"Lieutenant Ross?" Ed asked, seeing the homunculus take on her likeness.

"Well, that's what the reports will say. She was seen armed at the scene." The homunculus laughed.

"A shape changer." Ed said, stunned. "Barry said you were a shape changer."

"Can I eat him?" The other voice asked, stepping out from the shadows. It was an obese, bald man, with empty looking eyes.

"No." The green haired homunculus said. "We need that one alive. Father's wishes." They explained.

The obese one sulked. Suddenly a bullet came flying through the air and hit the green haired homunculus in the eye. "What about that one?" The obese one asked. "Can I eat him, can I?"

"No." The green haired one growled. "I have a better idea for that one." They added, transforming their arm into a green tendril. The green haired one lashed Fuery neck with the tendril from close to 10 yards away, and blood began pouring from the wound.

"Sergeant Fuery!" Ed cried, hurrying over to his friend, as his white shirt became soaked in his own red blood.

"Best get your friend to the hospital, pipsqueak. I mean you could stay here and play fisticuffs and let him bleed to death." The green haired one shrugged. "But I'll have other opportunities to beat you to a pulp."

Ed picked up Fuery on his back as best he could. He clapped his hand and touched them to the ground. Suddenly, the stoney ground became sharp spikes, each one as tall as man, impaling both of his opponents. But almost instantly, the wounds that would have killed any normal person healed over, and they shattered the stone spikes.

"You're just wasting your own time, Ed. Just get out of here. We have no use for you today. So beat it, and take care." The green haired one said with a sick smile."

Just then Black Hayate bounded over, still hobbling with a sore paw, and bit the obese one on the leg.

"Black Hayate, no!" Ed cried.

The obese one picked up the puppy, seemingly unphased by its bite. "Can I-"

"Yes." The green haired one immediately interrupted, smiling.


	21. Fuery's Bedside

Ed sat at Fuery's hospital bedside, tears running down his face. Nothing he had done seemed to affect the homunculi. They were unbeatable. Even when cut to pieces, they regenerated almost instantly. He wasn't sure how he could possibly win against them.

"The look on his face." The green haired one had cackled, rolling around on the ground after Hayate had been eaten.

"The dog or the boy?" The obese one had asked. It was strange. He seemed incredible naive. Whilst the green haired one seemed to delight in cruelty, the fat one almost didn't seem to recognise that eating live people or animals was in any way wrong. There was an odd, childlike innocence about him that made him extremely creepy.

"Both." The green haired one had said, wiping tears of laughter from their eyes. The image was burned into Ed's mind. A huge Ouroboros tattoo on the fat one's giant tongue. From the way he had regenerated as well, he must also have been a homunculus. Barry had talked about a dark haired girl. So that made three. The green haired one had also mentioned someone called 'father'. Did that make four? Ed couldn't see how he could take down four homunculi.

"Still hungry. I'm not full." Ed had heard the fat one say, when he was dragging Fuery's bleeding body away as fast as he could.

"Well get used to it. You'll never be full. Just like I'll never be done taking everything away from stupid humans." The green haired one had replied.

"I ate dog in one bite. I wish I had eaten in two bites. Then I would still have one bite of dog left."

"Your gift for equations is staggering." The green haired one had replied, sarcastically. "I'm glad you didn't though. I'm not sure I could have stuck the whining, from the dog or the kid if you'd chewed him in half. God, I hate whining. It's one of the absolute worst things about humans. Plus it was a particularly hilarious visual seeing his stupid little face peering out like that as you devoured him."

That one seemed to delight in cruelty. They had been right though. That was an image Ed was never going to forget. The obese homunculi had swallowed Hayate whole, back paws first, a look of terror etched on his face as his mouth had closed and he disappeared from view. The same look had been mirrored on Ed's face as he had been forced to watch. He'd tried a final transmutation at that exact second, in some hope of maybe getting him back. But it was fruitless. They were impervious to any damage he could deal. After that, he had no choice but to flee. Fuery would have died otherwise. It was touch and go as it was.

Suddenly, Riza ran into the room. "Ed." She wrapped her arms around him. "I came as soon as I heard. Are you alright?" She asked.

"I took a punch to the stomach. But other than that I'm fine. It's not me anyone should be worrying about." Ed replied.

"What happened? Who did this?" She asked.

"It was the homunculi. We found two of them. I think there might be a couple more out there as well. It was horrible. I couldn't damage them. Nothing we did seemed to have any effect. And-" Ed stopped.

"Ed, what is it?" Riza asked.

He sobbed into her shoulder. "Black Hayate is gone."

"Gone?" She asked, becoming tearful herself.

"A homunculus. A stupid, fat homunculus. Apparently it ate three people earlier today, and it wanted to eat us. I couldn't protect Hayate."

Riza pulled away and walked towards the door.

"Riza, please. I swear, I tried to protect him. But Fuery was bleeding to death, and then Hayate tried to bite the homunculus." He pleaded.

"I believe you, Ed." She said, still facing away from him. "I'm not blaming you. Especially when I wasn't even there. But that little dog was everything to me." She said, breaking down crying. "Whenever I come home, he's always there to greet me. When I wake up, when I go to sleep, when I feel lonely or insignificant, and he never asked for anything in return." She continued, biting her lip to force back the tears. "I think I need to be on my own for a little while." She said, closing the door behind her.


	22. Nightmare II - Lies

Ed lay in his own bed. This day just went from bad to worse. Fuery was fighting for his life in hospital, Hayate was gone for good, Riza didn't want to speak to him, and now Al hadn't come home. It wasn't like him. He had half a mind to go looking for him since it was this late. Especially with someone like Scar around. Although Fuery had said Scar had gone quiet lately. No sightings in a while. Certainly no more attacks attributed to him for some time. In their one and only meeting thus far, Scar had sworn he would not hurt Al, and he had no real reason to with Al not technically being a State Alchemist. As evil a man as he appeared, he did seem to a level of honour and principle. Suddenly a familiar little face came bounding up on the bed. "Black Hayate?" Ed sat up. "It's you! But how?"

"Because you're dreaming again, Ed." Hayate answered.

"Oh. It's you." Ed frowned.

"Yes, it's me. Black Hayate." The sinister little voice replied.

"No you aren't. I know that now." Ed answered. "And you have some nerve taking that form today. How about you show me who you really are."

"I'm impressed. It only took you two goes to figure out that dead dogs can't talk. And all it took was for you to bounce a poor little puppy off the ground while he was asleep." Hayate teased. "I'm afraid I can't show you my true form yet. It's not done. Still being prepared. But you're the one who gave me this form. So you can't really blame me."

"You're not going to get to me again. So you can give up already. And what do you mean I gave you that form?" Ed asked, impatiently.

"It sounds like I already am getting to you again." Hayate said, cuddling in beside Ed. "You gave me this form in your last dream, and it looks like that's how your brain interprets me now."

"Who are you? How are you getting into my dreams?" Ed asked, slamming his fist down beside the dog.

"I've been linked to your mind for quite a while now Ed, all the while growing strong enough to reach out. You and Al helped build me a long time ago. Al's no fun though. No sleep. No dreams. I can't talk to him." Hayate said. "Izumi helped build me as well. I've done my fair share of torturing in her dreams. Some real demons in there. And Dr. Marcoh. I think that name means something to you as well, if I'm not mistaken." Hayate continued, slyly.

"Why are you doing this? Why can't you just leave me alone?" Ed asked, sounding frustrated.

"You met me once before. We met inside the gate. You left an arm and a leg behind, and now they belong to me."

"Give them back!" Ed shouted.

"I haven't even got to wear them yet. You probably think human transmutation is impossible, don't you?" Hayate answered. "Well it is, and it isn't. I'm a human transmutation. I just haven't been finished yet. I've been accepting donations of body parts for a while. Sometimes someone will donate their whole body."

"You leave Al's body alone!"

"Relax. Safe and sound, inside the gate. I can't use a complete body. It can only leave the gate with its one true soul, and I'm not allowed to deconstruct it either. But when people throw pieces of themselves into the void, they become mine. I search through every tiny cell for something I can use, and piece by piece I'm building a new self. I think I'll be wearing your leg soon enough. Your arm was wasted though. Nothing compatible worth taking. But soon I will be complete. I can guarantee another human idiot will try and transmute a person, lose something or other, and then I'll be done cooking."

"You're a monster." Ed growled.

"No Riza tonight, Ed? Is she mad at you that couldn't protect me? That you didn't try to? So jealous of a little doggy that you let him get eaten up." He teased.

"I'm not descending to your level." Ed turned away. "So cut it out."

"You are the jealous type, aren't you? Where is Riza tonight? On her own? I mean that's what she said. But maybe it's complicated... She's said that before, hasn't she?" Hayate continued to tease. Ed didn't answer. "Silent treatment? That's ok. I'm in no hurry. Maybe she's with my Daddy."

Ed pushed the dog off the bed without saying anything.

"I thought you promised you'd never do that again. But then Mommy said she didn't love Colonel Roy. I guess everyone lies." Hayate said, getting back onto the bed. "That's where she is right now. I only know that because it's what you're thinking. I don't watch you when you're awake. I just know your thoughts when you're in a deep, deep sleep. It's ok. You can tell me how you feel."

"It's crossed my mind." Ed shrugged.

"But you have her word, don't you? The word of woman who promised she'd keep people safe by joining the military and shot innocent civilians from a nice safe distance with a sniper rifle. You can trust that woman." Hayate continued in taunting tone. "Of course she was with Roy earlier. They both have reasons to be sad tonight. Maybe they will try and make some puppies." Hayate said, now getting right up in Ed's face. "And since I'm dead and gone, no need to close the door."

Ed pushed Hayate onto the floor and pinned him with his automail foot.

"Not descending to my level at all. Are you going to kill me again, Ed? Twice in one day seems a tad excessive." Hayate asked.

Ed teared up. "What is your name? Why are you doing this to me?"

"My name? Sorry. No one has donated a name yet. It's not something Truth has much interest in taking. I assume you remember Truth. I guess he's my brother, and he hasn't got a body either. Not that he wants one."

"I guess that makes you 'Lies' then." Ed said, through gritted teeth. Applying some pressure to the nightmare Hayate with his foot. "Seems fitting."

"Lies? Not bad, I suppose. Though I think I'll need a mortal name to go with my mortal body, when I'm born. My mortal soul too. I suppose you're wondering where I'm going to get one of those from. But I've got someone working on that right now. We have a deal going on." He explained. "But look at you, about to crush a helpless little puppy because he's making fun of you in a dream. Maybe this is why Riza doesn't want to make puppies with you. I mean it's been a while, right? Is she just playing hard to get, or are you just a bad tempered kid, keeping a real man's place warm for a little while?"

Ed raised his foot, ready to crush the nightmare dog before he awoke with a jump. He gasped for air as he looked around the dark room. No one there. Ed cried into his pillow, forcing himself not to fall back asleep again.


	23. Greed

Ed checked his State Alchemist pocket watch. "10 past 10." He said to himself. "Still no Al." Now he was getting really worried. What if the homunculi had captured him, or if Scar had gone back on his word?

He called round to Riza's. Just in case he'd stopped by. But he also needed to see her again. He felt so terrible about Black Hayate. "Ed?" Riza said, surprised as she came to the door. "Not like you to be up this early when you don't have work."

"It's Al. No one's seen him. Izumi is out looking for him, and Mr. Sig. But we don't know where he could have gone. We're really worried after yesterday. I don't suppose you've seen him?" Ed asked.

"No. I'm afraid not, Ed. But I will help you look for him." She said, trying to raise a smile. She was still clearly not doing well, though Ed understood completely.

"Count me in too." Colonel Mustang said, appearing beside Hawkeye in the doorway.

"Mustang?" Ed asked.

"Colonel or Sir would be a more appropriate way to address a superior officer." He replied.

"I'm just a little surprised to see you here." Ed grumbled. "But yeah, I wouldn't mind an extra pair of eyes on the street."

"I hope you're not implying anything, Fullmetal." The Colonel said. "Gracia Hughes just needed me to confirm a couple of things for the funeral. It's tomorrow."

"I see. Sorry. My mind hasn't been in the right place lately. Have you heard how Sergeant Fuery is doing?" Ed apologised.

"He'll be ok." Mustang nodded. "Touch and go there for a while, but once they stopped the bleeding he stabilised pretty quickly. He's a fighter."

Ed nodded in turn.

They searched every street, every alley and any building they could think of where he might have been before going back to his apartment.

"This place is even smaller than Hawkeye's." Mustang smiled.

"Knock it off." Ed replied, bluntly. At that moment the phone rang. Ed answered it cautiously. "Hello."

"Hello. Am I speaking to Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist?" An arrogant sounding voice asked.

"Yes. That's right." Ed answered.

"That's good. You're tricky to get a hold of, so I'm told. But I actually need your help, so I thought I'd try your daytime number. I have your brother here with me." He replied.

"You give him back! Who is this?" Ed asked, angrily.

"It's greed. Al tells me you've been reading up on homunculi. I can sweeten the deal, if that's the case. I will give him back, as I found him, and I can fill you in on a few details about homunculi that you may be missing. All you have to do is fill me in on the finer points of bonding a soul to a suit of armour. My soul." Greed said.

"That's not something to be playing around with. Do you have any idea how risky soul bonding is? What you have to sacrifice?" Ed hissed.

"Yes. It all sounds tricky. Except, I've got a philosopher's stone. I think I remember hearing you have an interest in those as well."

"Where do you want to meet?"

"Edward, isn't it?" Ed could now see what the voice on the phone looked like. He was a tall, muscular man with spiky, black hair, seated on a leather couch in the bar, a young woman, either side of him. Al was on a small wooden barstool to his right. The barstool looked like it might collapse under the weight of Al's body.

"Yes." He answered. "I guess that means you're Greed."

"Got it in one." He answered, eyeing Riza as she sat down beside Ed. "I didn't realise you were bringing a date. Or is that backup?"

"The two aren't mutually exclusive." She replied, coldly.

"Haha. I like this one." Greed laughed. "And the one over at the bar? Is he the same."

"He's not my date, if that's what you mean." Ed grumbled.

"Put your cards on the table, Ed. I always do. Why else would be wearing military uniform if he wasn't here with you?" Greed asked.

"He comes here enough when he's supposed to be in his office." Riza said under her breath.

"Hahaha." Greed laughed. "Woman with a sense of humour. How did a little shrimp like you catch such a big fish?" He asked, looking at Ed. Ed scrunched up a napkin with his automail hand at that comment. "But let's get down to business. What will you have? My treat." He said, opening the menu.

"I'd rather discuss what you talked about on the phone." Ed replied, not wishing to make it a social affair.

"What's the rush?" Greed asked. "I mean it's not quite like the bars in Dublith, but the food here is pretty nice."

"I'm not interested in making friends right now. Tell me what I need to know and give me back my brother." Ed answered.

"Alright then. Cards on the table. If you cast your eye over to the bar, you'll see a little huddle of three. As you may have guessed, they're working for me. What may surprise you is that they are chimeras, capable of suppressing their animal qualities until needed." Greed explained. "Inside your brother's armour is another chimera friend of mine. Not doing any harm. I just don't want anyone trying to make a getaway when that's not what we agreed. Care to tell me how his armour is empty, Ed? Just how did you do that?" He asked.

"It's not something you want to do." Ed answered.

"That was not the question. I didn't bring you here to ask for a lesson in ethics. I have my own code, and I don't need your approval." Greed said, sternly.

"Alright. I will tell you. But you have to tell me how you know about the homunculi first."

"That? Oh we go way back." He said showing Ed the Ouroboros tattoo on his hand. "It's a family affair."

Ed stood up as if he was ready to fight.

"Take it easy kid. I'm not with the others. I presume you've had a run in with them from the way you're behaving. Greed flies solo, if that wasn't already clear." He explained.

Ed sat back down again, but didn't drop his guard. He was skeptical of the whole thing. "So you're a homunculus too. So who are the others, and what are they planning? If you really aren't working with them, you'll have no problem in telling me."

"And I don't." Greed confirmed. "There are seven homunculi. Father, our creator, chipped seven fragments off of his old soul. His soul is bonded to a philosopher's stone. So when he separated us, we took our own fragments of the stone, and our bodies were constructed around them."

"And he named you 'Greed'." Ed snickered.

Greed's gaze became cold. "I am an embodiment of the mortal sin of greed. Father's greed to be precise. He hoped I would serve him. But how stupid do you have to be to think avarice incarnate is going to follow orders? I want money. I want power. I women, I want sex, I want status. I want everything this world has to offer. And right now, I particularly want the information you have on soul bonding. So please. Do tell."

"You're already bonded to philosopher's stone. Why would you want to be bonded to a suit of armour? Aren't you basically immortal as it is?"

"Again evading the question." Greed sighed. "But yeah. I'll bite. It's the word 'basically', that's the problem. You can't be 'basically' immortal. You either are, or you aren't. And I am not." Greed said, lifting a table fork and stabbing himself in the hand. Ed winced as he watched. But Greed's wound immediately healed, just as the other homunculi had done earlier. "True, my philosopher's stone core allows me to regenerate from any injury, and my ultimate shield helps prevent those too." His hand suddenly covered itself in a black substance. It almost looked like was wearing a very thin glove. "But I'm still flesh and blood, like a human. All those little repair jobs I have to do to maintain this sack of blood are eating away at my philosopher's stone. The power is not unlimited. If I overdo it, fixing this body over and over again, it will eventually run out. What I need is to take my soul and my stone and stick in them in a body that is lower maintenance, like your brother's.

"That was a last resort." Ed shouted, banging his hand on the table. "It was all I could do to save him."

"Easy kid. I'm really not concerned what your reasons were. I already know mine. If I don't eat in this body, I have to maintain it with the stone. If I don't sleep. The stone suffers. If I lose blood, break a bone, lose a limb, if I get ill or injured in any way, I have to drain more power from the philosopher's stone to fix myself. Your brother doesn't need that though. Metal is so much more easy to work with."

"And the other homunculi? What are they planning? They must have told you if you worked for them before." Ed insisted.

"I told you. Father picked all his sins out of his soul. That's how we came to be. The others still serve him." Greed shrugged.

"Serve him how? What are they trying to do? What's their goal?"

"Why would you cast out your mortal sins?" Greed asked.

"If… if you didn't want to stay mortal."

"Bingo." Greed said. "Not that it's going to work, but he's planning on making a second philosopher's stone to try and become God. Creating us lost him a bit of power, and he had to give half of his stone away a long time ago, if I recall."

"Give half of it away? To who?" Ed asked.

"I don't know. I never met them, and Father didn't talk about them much. I didn't really care enough to pry. My information is a little dated, kid. But last I heard, they were planning another war. Drachma is the goal. A lot of people to sacrifice there. And the last war in Ishval just went so well." Greed said.

Ed looked over to Riza. She looked troubled at the mention of Ishval. Not to mention how flippantly Greed spoke of it going "well".


	24. Further

"That's not something to joke about." Ed said, coldly. "It was a terrible war."

"I didn't say I agreed with what they were doing, did I? After all, I'm not working with them. But you can't deny they've been playing it well so far." Greed admitted. "They've got this country in the palm of their hands. That's ok though. All that means is I need to switch whose hand it's in. That's a lot easier than starting from scratch. But I've given you plenty of information now. It's your turn to talk."

"Just one more thing." Ed said.

"I thought you alchemists believed in equivalent exchange." Greed shrugged. "To me it looks like you're taking me for all I'm worth. Last question. Got it?"

"Alright. Just how are the other homunculi controlling the military in Amestris?" Ed asked.

"Oh, that? I assumed you'd figured that one out. But if you're really falling behind…" Greed paused.

Suddenly a dozen men in military uniform came charging through the door to the bar, followed by the Fuhrer himself.

"That's my cue to leave." Greed said, standing up immediately and sliding Ed a business card discretely. He jumped off the table through a glass window, shattering it as he did.

"That was Greed. A known criminal and enemy of Amestris." The Fuhrer said, walking over to Ed.

"Yeah, he introduced himself." Ed replied. "Do you think you'll catch him?"

"Not today. But we're narrowing down his hiding places. I'll have him cornered one day." The Fuhrer replied. "May I ask on what grounds you were meeting with a criminal like Greed?"

"He had Alphonse. I was here to get him back."

"For your sake and his, I hope you did not exchange any of the privileged information that comes with your position." The Fuhrer said.

"No, sir. None."

"So Al still had one of those Chimeras inside his armour when you got home?" Riza asked, surprised. The pair of them were back in her apartment now.

"Yeah. He's actually grown pretty attached to her." He laughed.

"But what do they want?" She asked.

"Beats me. I guess it was too dangerous to go after Greed immediately. It would have been too obvious she was working with him. The other Chimeras left pretty discretely as well. I guess they'll probably all meet back up again." Ed said. He paused for a few seconds. "Riza… I'm so, so sorry about what happened to Black Hayate."

"Ed, please don't apologise again. I believe you that you did what you could. As much as it hurts me that he's gone, if you hadn't carried Sergeant Fuery to the hospital, he would be dead. I have to be realistic and say that would be the bigger loss." She conceded.

"It just feels like it was my fault, since I was the one keeping an eye on him." Ed said.

"The fault rests solely with the homunculi, and we will bring them to justice."

"So you aren't mad at me?" Ed asked.

"No. I understand you couldn't do anything else. I'm not going to hold a personal grudge over something you had to do to save my colleague." She affirmed.

"So, would it be ok if I kissed you?" Ed asked. They hadn't kissed since Hayate had gone.

"Yes, you can." She smiled. "I hope you didn't think that you couldn't." Riza had to bend down a little to kiss him. This was one more difficult aspects of dating a tall woman when he was so short. "Ed, you seem a little distracted. Is everything ok?"

"Take your pick of reasons why I can't concentrate today." He laughed.

"True." Hawkeye replied.

"But I was just wondering…" He shrugged. "We've been together for a little while. I've been staying over. It feels like our chemistry is pretty good. Any chance we could… take things a bit further?" He asked, cautiously.


	25. Hawkeye's Burden

Riza looked deep in thought, and Ed felt an immediate sense of regret for asking. "I'm sorry. Really, it's ok if it's still too soon." Ed backtracked.

"No. It's not too soon." Riza sighed.

"Really? Have I been doing something wrong? If I have just tell me and I'll try and stop." Ed said, confused.

"No. It's not that either. I just…" She paused. "I struggle with intimacy. I'm very insecure about my body."

"You?" Ed asked. That was one answer he had not been expecting. "But why? You're really beautiful. Anyone can see that."

"You're too kind, Ed. But it's-"

"Complicated. I remember." Ed interrupted. Nightmare Hayate's words were still hurting him in a way that was all too real. It had stirred up some nasty paranoia for him. "If it's because you're more muscular than most women, I promise I won't be scared off just because you're stronger than me."

Riza smiled faintly. "I wish it were that simple." There was a painful silence for a second. "You've been extremely patient, however. I think that merits an answer. And I suppose maybe this is a good time to go a little further." She shrugged, walking over to her room.

"Really, only if you're completely comfortable. I don't want to push this too fast if it's not what you want." Ed explained, following close behind.

"It's never going to be easy for me, Ed. It's just a bit of a cross I have to bear. But showing you this for the first time is going to be the most difficult part." She explained, sitting down on the bed. It made a creaking sound as she sat down. Ed stayed standing for a few more seconds before Riza gestured for him to sit down. She undid the bra from beneath her shirt and threw it on the floor at top speed, as if she was tearing off a bandaid. Ed blinked in astonishment as the undergarment hit the ground, faster than his eyes could keep track of it. Then Riza turned away from him and faced the wall.

"Did I do something wrong?" Ed asked, confused.

"Not at all. But I can't keep letting you call me beautiful until I've shown you something." She answered.

Ed was worried now. What was this terrible secret that was going to mar his impression of her so much? "Ok. I'm ready." He mumbled.

"You remember that I said my father was an alchemic researcher, don't you?" She said, pulling her white t-shirt over her head, revealing a large alchemic array tattooed on her back. "Well this is his research. Very selective about who he shared it with. I think I told you that as well. A burden he passed onto me." She said, her tone turning very frail.

"Riza. Riza, I'm so sorry. Does it still hurt?" Ed asked.

"Physically?" She asked, almost laughing with despair. "No. After a few weeks that went away. But it still pains me in a way I can't put into words. It's Flame alchemy. The very kind Colonel Mustang uses. The kind he had to use in Ishval."

Ed felt a lump in his throat. "Your father… Did he force you to carry his research?"

"Again, not physically. I wasn't restrained. I wasn't forced in that sense. But I never would have chosen it if it had really been my choice. Roy was my father's apprentice. He wouldn't share flame alchemy with him. But I knew his determination. I admired that determination, and modeled my own after it. So I showed him. But then the war came, and that research… The burden I carried was passed onto a lot more people than I, my father or even Roy ever intended." She sounded like she was on the verge of breaking down. "A lot people died because of what you see on my skin. I suppose you're probably wondering why some parts are obscured."

"I suppose. But really, if you're not comfortable sharing this, you don't-"

"Is it me that's not comfortable sharing it, or are you not comfortable hearing it?" She asked, turning back around. She sounded quite angry now, and there were tears in her eyes.

"Not at all. I promise." Ed panicked. "I was just concerned."

"I convinced the Colonel to do that." She sighed. "At least I'm not burdened with protecting the research any more. That's his and his alone now. The idiot would have done anything I told him that day. I needed him to burn it off."

"Burn it off?!" Ed asked.

"So that I could be free, Ed. I was never getting a clean slate. I never can. But I could at least stop carrying around the secrets to murder wherever I went. He couldn't burn it all off of course. He was crying more than me. But he did enough. It can't be read now. Roy will be the one and only flame alchemist. No more will learn to kill from the array I was made to carry with me. That's my story. I'm not beautiful. Not inside. Not out." She was almost growling out the last words.

"I know there is nothing I can say that can change how you feel about what's on your back. I'm not going to insult you by trying to say it's not noticeable or not that bad. But I can say it doesn't make me love you any less." Ed said. Riza looked back at him wide-eyed in disbelief. "You're looking at a kid who lost his own limbs and sacrificed his own brother's body for a pipe dream. That was the worst mistake I ever made, and the price I paid I'm still carrying. But you never treated me any different. You saw past my mistake, and you've helped me every step of the way so I can someday fix it."

Riza wiped away some trailing tears from her face and smiled. "You meant well, Ed. You didn't know you would lose your bodies. I understand why you did what you did."

"But that's just it." Ed smiled, taking her hand in his automail hand. "I'm to blame for what I did. I might have just wanted my mom back. But everything I'd ever read and heard told me not to attempt a human transmutation. It was my own terrible decision. Who could blame you for something that someone else chose for you? The fact that you are still affected so greatly about these things you had no control over shows how caring a person you are. You are beautiful on the inside. And on the outside, there's no question." Ed said, realising only at that moment that the Lieutenant had been sitting shirtless in front of him the whole time.


	26. Great Timing

Ed bounced from the middle the bed to the pillow. His head landed just before the headboard and he grinned cheekily as he looked Riza in the eye. Her face was bright scarlet, her hairline was sweaty and she was still getting her breath back.

"That's probably far enough for one day." He laughed, cuddling into her neck. "Did I do ok?" Ed asked, concerned that he didn't get a reply after his first statement.

"Just fine." Riza panted. "Sorry. I'm going to need a second here." She laughed, still regaining her breath. "It's been a while since anyone's done that with we. Very generous, I might add." She said, rolling onto her side to look more directly at him. She winked.

"Really, it was nothing." Ed laughed. "You said you had trouble feeling intimate earlier. I just wanted to make you as comfortable as I could. So… do you believe me yet?" He asked, cautiously.

"Believe what?" Riza asked in response, a little confused. She was still panting a little.

"Believe that you're beautiful. You said you didn't think you were earlier. I told you that you were. I was just wondering if I'd added any merit to my argument."

She rolled back onto her back and laughed, sounding quite tired. "In this one moment, Ed. Yeah. Right now I do feel beautiful. So thank you. I guess that makes it my turn then." She said, again adjusting herself so that she propped her head with her hand, elbow pressing down into the mattress.

"No, really. That's fine. I don't want to rush anything." He stammered.

"Sounds like someone's nervous." Riza grinned at him. "The genie is out of the bottle now. I'm not usually one for having much of a libido. Congratulations on finding it so quickly. I can't just let that go unnoticed." She said, her tone almost turning a little sinister. "What's it you alchemists talk about? Equivalent exchange?" She continued, kissing her way down his chest. Suddenly the phone rang, just as her nose was level with his belly button.

"Talk about timing." Riza sighed. She put on her dressing gown to cover her body and made her way to the ringing phone. Ed could hardly believe what he was doing. 10 days ago he couldn't call her by her first name. This morning he'd been in bed with Riza Hawkeye. He would never have seen it coming. Things had certainly moved pretty quickly. He'd seen sides of her he had never known existed. There was so much more to her than the soldier with nerves of steel he had known from work.

Riza came back into the bedroom. "It's greed." She said. "I think he's calling from a public payphone."

"Greed? Guess that means he's still on the run. Picked a great time to call." He grumbled. Ed wrapped a towel from the radiator around his waist. The windows in the Lieutenant's apartment weren't big. But he didn't feel like putting on a display if any neighbours happened to be looking in that direction.

"And what do you want, Greed?" Ed asked. "I've still stuck taking care of one of your henchmen you left behind."

"Precisely why I called, Fullmetal alchemist. I need to regroup forces before I get out of this city. I need all of my allies if I'm to regroup and take down your Fuhrer in due time." Greed replied arrogantly.

"Dream on." Ed smirked. "You and a handful of goons aren't going to bring down the military of Amestris."

"I could with your help, Edward Elric. You still need to explain to me the finer details of how I can bond my soul to a suit of armour."

"And why would I do that? You are in no position to enforce your wishes."

"Because there is still some information that might be of benefit to you. I can tell you how to defeat a homunculus. Where the others are. What their next move might be. I might also be able to tell you how to get a certain little dog back."

"What?" Ed asked. "Back up. You can get him back? But he died. I saw him get… eaten."

"Details, details." Greed answered. "I'm pretty sure it can be done in this instance, and I can help you retrieve him. Even if you aren't going to tell me, I would appreciate it if you gave Martel back. The group just isn't the same without her."

"Where will I find you?"


	27. Nightmare III in Broad Daylight

"You've been hiding out in a sewer?" Ed asked, following Greed along the concrete sewer walkway that ran parallel to the water, beneath the ground.

"Well, it's not ideal for me either. A little humiliating really. But they're crossing off my usual hiding places, and I don't actually know this city too well. Plus the terrible smell helps prevent Gluttony from finding me. That scent tracking can be a real pain." Greed answered.

"Let's cut to the chase. You said you knew how to get Black Hayate back even after that fat one ate him alive." Ed said. "Now was that just to get me down here or what?"

"Give me some credit, Ed. I don't lie. Not today, and not ever. But that's just it. He ate him alive didn't he? Tell me, did he chew him at all?" Greed asked.

Ed felt a bit sick even talking about it. "No. Not at all. He didn't need to, the fat monster."

"Well there you have it. Gluttony can chew through anything. It's a bit of a pain to deal with, and it's not going to be easy to take him down. But your little doggy was really quite lucky. He didn't need to chew him up to eat him. He went down in one." Greed mocked.

"Shut up. I didn't come here to be reminded. So how exactly do you plan on getting him back?" Ed asked angrily.

"Me get him back? You've got it all wrong. I'll tell you all you need to know. But I'm not risking my life to save your little mutt." Greed explained. "See you've probably been wondering where all the people that Gluttony eats go. How can he do all that and never get full?"

"I guess. I was a little too wrapped up in saving Sergeant Fuery to ask though." Ed answered coldly.

"Very considerate." Greed answered condescendingly. "Anyways, Gluttony's stomach is actually another dimension. If he was alive when he swallowed him, there's no reason why he shouldn't be alive now. Best part is it's a two way street. In theory you could get him back out of that dimension. Only problem is there's only one way in. You're going to need to get eaten yourself, and for you sake, preferably in one bite."

"And how exactly do I get out of there even if Black Hayate is still alive?" Ed asked.

"Beats me. But use your head. It must be possible. The gateway must open both ways. There just tends to be a lot more entrances than exits." Greed shrugged.

"But if I can get myself… eaten." Ed shuddered at the thought. "Then once I'm in, find Black Hayate and figure out a way to open the gateway to this dimension on that side. That would work?" Ed asked.

"Yup. I've never personally tried it, but I can see no reason why it wouldn't. Gluttony's stomach is like a bubble that exists outside of our world. He was a failed attempt at opening a portal of truth after all." Greed explained.

"He was? Someone tried to make one in our world?"

"Yeah, Father used to be very keen to do that. But it's not possible. The only way through is to attempt a human transmutation, and we all know how that ends." He said in mocking tone. "But this is the least I can do. Thank you returning Martel to the group. Now if you tell me how I can disembody my soul and bond it somewhere else, I'd be happy to tell you just how to fight a homunculus. You'll need to know that if you want to catch Gluttony and get your puppy back."

"Riza." Ed beamed, entering the Lieutenant's apartment. He was thrilled. Now he could atone for losing Black Hayate. Nothing was going to earn him bonus points like bringing her puppy back. He came into the bedroom and froze. Riza was sitting on the bed, eyes streaming with tears, cuddling a familiar looking puppy.

"He's back, Ed." Riza exclaimed, overjoyed. "I don't know how. But he found his way back." In that moment the puppy turned its face to Ed and shot him an evil grin.

Ed knew immediately that this was not Black Hayate. "Are you sure it's him? Not just a dog that looks like him?" Ed asked.

"I know it sounds impossible, Ed. But it's him. Look at him. I'd know that face anywhere." She answered, smiling and crying simultaneously.

"Yes. I know. But… He was… Eaten. Even if he could just come back. How did he do it on his own?"

"I know. It doesn't make sense. But as logical people as we are, Ed, do we really need an answer this time? Can't we just be glad Black Hayate is here without having to question it?" This was uncharacteristic of Riza, but Ed understood that she was clutching at straws. Losing Hayate had really hurt her, and she didn't want anything to shake the idea that he was back now.

"You need to explain to me. Who brought him here? How exactly did you find out he was back?" Ed asked.

"I heard him at the door, outside my apartment. I knew those little whimpers, Ed. I'd heard it before, and the sound of those little paws on the door. I thought I was losing my mind until I opened the door and found him. I hadn't been hearing things. He came back."

Ed paused for a moment. He had to find a way to prove this wasn't Black Hayate. There must have been some detail that this similar looking dog was missing. But even so, how had it found its way to her apartment? Maybe the Colonel had left it as a present to make her feel better. That seemed as likely as anything. "Does his paw still hurt?" Ed asked, trying to sound concerned.

"Yes. He's still limping a little. But considering we thought he was dead, we can't complain." Riza smiled.

"I see." Ed said. That was hard to argue with. A similar looking dog? More than possible. Hayate wasn't the only one of his type in Central. There were bound to be a few puppies with the same markings, and Riza might have been so happy to think he was back that she would overlook the minor details. But the same limp? That was no coincidence. "Have you given him breakfast?" Ed asked. "He's probably starving if he hasn't eaten since he himself was… eaten."

Riza shook her head, and wiped some stray tears from her face. "No. I've just been cuddling him this whole time." She looked the little dog right in the face, their noses pressed together. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again." She said. "But you're right, let's get him something to eat."

"Don't forget his breakfast routine." Ed smirked. "You don't want him to forget."

Riza laughed. "I thought I was never going to get to do this again." She smiled, getting a can of dog food from the cupboard and crouched down beside Hayate, who waddled over, avoiding putting weight on his sore paw quite convincingly. But Ed was shocked as the dog flawlessly went through the commands just like Hayate had done.

"That's not possible." Ed thought. "How could another dog know those commands if they'd never practiced before? Maybe it really is him. I guess if it's a two way portal, someone else might have rescued him. But I'm really not sure how." Ed continued pondering.

"Damn it. That's the last can." Riza said, throwing the empty can away as the little puppy hungrily tucked into his meal. "I'm going to need to get some more from the store. It's just at the end of the street. So I will only be a few minutes."

"I thought you weren't letting him out of your sight." Ed sulked.

"You could be a little happier that my dog isn't dead, Ed." Riza replied. She didn't sound pleased with Ed's attitude.

"You're right." Ed sighed. "Can't have him putting weight on that paw of his. I'll just keep an eye on him until you're back." He waited until Riza had left the apartment before grabbing the little dog, who was still eating, both hands around his neck. "Ok, you tell me who you really are." Ed snarled. The dog whimpered in response. "Oh no. I'm not falling for that. It's you isn't it?"

"Mommy wouldn't be happy if she saw you trying to strangle me, Ed." The puppy replied in a familiar, creepy tone.

"I'm not strangling you." Ed answered. "Believe me, you'd know about it if I was. Now tell me how the hell you got here, or is this just one really long nightmare?"

"Oh no. This is very real, Ed." Nightmare Hayate replied. "You remember I was saying that I was building myself a body, deconstructing all the offerings people threw away with human transmutations? Well I got bored. I'm still working on that little project. But in the meantime, I want to explore this world. And I had enough leftover cells to build this little body. Dog cells, person cells. They're all just nutrients and minerals when you break them down." Nightmare Hayate sneered. "You see, I've become quite attached to being this way. Your nightmares are very fun for me. So I thought I'd bring them to life. At least until my real body is ready."

"But wait." Ed interrupted. "You said you needed compatible cells. If these are leftovers, this body will reject your soul."

"Yes, it will. But I don't need this body for very long. It's more like a little preview of what this world has to offer me. Plus there's just one little thing I want to take care of before I get my human body."

"Tell me." Ed barked.

"So impatient." Nightmare Hayate replied. "It's just… I think Mommy would be a lot happier if she was with my Daddy instead of you. So I just need to get them together. It shouldn't be very difficult. She still loves him really, and you're just so mean all the time. She's getting fed up with you very quickly. That's why she doesn't want to make puppies with you."

"That's where you're wrong." Ed smirked, tightening his grip on Hayate a little. "We're doing just fine thank you. And if you'd just leave us alone like a good little doggy, I'm sure we'll get around to making plenty of 'puppies' in due time."

"You're a placeholder, Ed. You're being led along, like a dog yourself. But ok. I could leave. Go out in the street and get knocked down by a car. Good idea. We'll see how much Mommy likes you then." Nightmare Hayate teased. "No, I think you had better be very nice to Black Hayate. I am going to split you up with my Mommy. But you should at least have a fighting chance. Now put me down please."

Ed dropped the dog. "There's only one way I can get rid of that dog without making Riza hate me. That's by getting the real Black Hayate back." Ed thought to himself.


	28. The Last Laugh

Ed lay in bed awake, shunted over to the edge. Nightmare Hayate had taken his spot, and the Lieutenant didn't seem interested in returning him to the foot of the bed where the real Hayate had usually slept.

"It's his first night back home." She had said, tucking the pseudo-dog in. "We want him to feel as welcome as possible, and let him know nothing has changed. He should feel safe here."

"If nothing has changed, then why does he get my spot?" Ed had asked himself. He couldn't let his annoyance out just yet. Hawkeye would never believe that the fake Hayate from his nightmares was in her apartment. He rolled over, facing towards Hawkeye and the dog, gently pushing Hayate further away from himself. "How can one stupid puppy take up this much space." He thought. It was remarkable how much he could spread himself out, confining Ed to a small fraction of the bed. Suddenly the dog yelped.

"Ed, please be quiet. I have work in the morning." Riza moaned.

"Me? It was… Hayate." He said, still not wishing to apply that name to the copy in his place.

"You must have leaned on him. Remember his-"

"Yeah, yeah. His paw is sore." Ed interrupted. Right now he wanted to grab the clone dog by his supposedly sore paw and throw him outside by it.

"So long as we're clear. Now scoot over and give him some space. What do you expect is going to happen? You're practically on top of him." She ordered sternly.

Ed really did love Riza. It had happened very suddenly, but he really was head over heels now. But it was hard living with her when she was pampering the dog so much. Even moreso considering it wasn't even really Black Hayate. If only he could show Riza what it was really planning. The evil copy had spilled its guts about its ambitions only a few hours ago. But Riza wasn't there to hear it. He could only imagine how angry she'd be at the stupid fake puppy if she found out it was pretending to be Hayate. It was going to be difficult though, Ed thought, moving a little closer to the edge of the bed. That dog always seemed to be one step ahead. But if he could capture Gluttony, get himself eaten (that part he was not looking forward to) and find a way to reopen that portal on the other side, there was a chance he could get the real Hayate back. "That'll show that stupid copy dog." He grumbled under his breath. Of course Hayate had been gone for days now. Could he breathe inside Gluttony? Could he eat? He had know way of verifying if we was still alive in there. But it was a risk he had to take. Then that other dog would be gone for good.

"Just five more minutes." Ed complained, pulling the duvet over his head. But it was no use. The sun was coming through the curtains and there was no turning back. It was supposed to be his first day back at work since he'd got himself nearly killed at Lab 5. The nightmare Hayate stuck his head under the duvet and licked Ed's face, mockingly. "On second thought, I might just get up now." Ed grumbled, sitting up.

"Hayate!" He heard Riza call from the other room. She didn't sound pleased.

"Oh great. What am I going to get the blame for now?" Ed thought. That dog seemed to be able to do no wrong in her eyes. But when he came into the living room Riza looked angry… at Hayate. She was pointing to a… mess… left on the couch.

"What did you do that for?" She asked Hayate, who had come waddling out, hearing his name. "Bathroom is for outside only." She insisted, pointing at the mess. Hayate whimpered in response. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself. I've trained you for long enough to know that you do not do that in here." Her tone was cold. She was not going to be won over by whining this time. Even the real Hayate couldn't getting away with going to the bathroom on the furniture.

Ed smiled, stopping himself as soon as he realised. He didn't want Riza to see him finding this amusing. But it looked like he'd found her weakness. She was house-proud. This he could use to his advantage.

"Here, I'll take care of that. You get your shower." Ed said, trying to sound genuine.

"No. He's my dog. I can't expect you to clean up after him." She put her head in her hands apathetically. "I'm mean there's no cleaning it anyway. It's ruined. I can't afford to replace the couch now."

"I'll pull some strings." Ed shrugged. "Find some loophole and take it out of my research money."

Riza smiled back at him. "That's very sweet, Ed. But we can't have you spending the state's money on cleaning up after my puppy."

"Why not? You work hard enough, and it's not like they spoil you with their salary."

"Tell me about it." She sighed. It was true. Riza worked as hard as anyone in the military. But even as a Lieutenant, she wasn't particularly well paid. "It's not like him at all. He knows he's not supposed to do that. I spent weeks teaching him when I first got him. I really don't want to have to go through that again. I'll be honest, after the first week I was ready to let him go."

Ed was enjoying hearing this. Now it was him who was the good guy and nightmare Hayate who was to blame.

"I let a few people take a look at him. I had a couple of offers, and I was very close to moving him on. But the Colonel convinced me to give him another chance. Soon enough he picked it up." She smiled.

Ed felt bad now. He was torn. On the one hand, he hated nightmare Hayate. He was pure evil. He'd basically confessed. But Riza loved the real Hayate, and she thought this was him. "Like I said, I'll take care of it. Go get your shower and get ready."

When she was out of the room he turned to Black Hayate and smirked. "I thought I heard you by the front door after we'd gone to bed. Not so easy, is it? The body of a little puppy isn't very good at holding when it needs to go to the bathroom. It takes quite a lot of practice, and you're not used to this body. Are you going to be able to wait all day until Lieutenant Hawkeye gets home?" He asked in a hushed tone, still sounding quite taunting. "The real Black Hayate can. It's going to give the game away sooner or later."

Nightmare Hayate looked worry. "Well, I guess you'll just have some more cleaning up to do later then, won't you." He teased with an evil grin.

Ed frowned at fetched a basin and some rubber gloves from the kitchen. He'd have the last laugh in the end, but in the meantime this was not going to be enjoyable.


	29. A Favour or Two from Roy Mustang

"And that's why I need your help, Colonel." Ed explained.

"So Black Hayate is back from the dead?" Colonel Mustang asked, hands together while he sat in his office chair.

"Not so loud. Hawkeye is just next door." Ed said, quietly, urging the Colonel to do the same. "It's not really Black Hayate. It's something evil that looks like him."

"Are you sure you've got this right? Something evil that looks like a puppy?" Colonel Mustang smirked. "Or are you acting crazy to get time off work?"

"This is real, damn it." Ed said, trying to sound angry but keeping his voice down at the same time. "It said it's building a human body. But it's using this form in the meantime. I think it had access to my thoughts because… it appeared in some nightmares before it showed up in the real world."

"Do you think it's a homunculus? I think you mentioned one of the homunculi you encountered could change shape."

"No. I don't think so. No tattoo, and it didn't seem like the others. But it might be connected to them. I guess that would help explain some of the weirdness. That reminds me… any progress on the Hughes case?"

"No. Not at all. But we will bring his killer to justice. I won't rest until we do." He said, coldly. "But tell me, why have you come to me about all this? It's not like you to bore me with your personal life. It almost reminds me… of Hughes." He smiled. "He never did shut up about his family."

"I need to ask a favour. You see the fake Hayate isn't used to that body. That can help me prove it's not him. Hayate was really well trained." Ed explained.

"Tell me about it. Hawkeye spent hours teaching that dog. I should know. I dropped by quite a lot when he was adopted to make sure she was ok. She had more patience than I would have."

"That's just it. This dog hasn't been trained. It remembers the breakfast routine because I had seen it before. It had access to my thoughts when it was still in my nightmares. But it hasn't learned control over a body it's not used to. So since it's a puppy… well… it." Ed began to mumble.

"It what?" Mustang asked. "Does it bite?"

"No, no. It knows not to do that. It just…"

"Does he bark at night?"

"No. He's… quiet. He's just a… stupid, little poop machine." Ed said under his breath.

"Ouch. Hawkeye isn't going to like that." Mustang said. He knew her well. She took great pride in a tidy and orderly home.

"Exactly. Her patience is going to run out with fake Hayate, and I have a plan to get real Black Hayate back. But until then, I'm stuck cleaning up after him. So to cut a long story short, can I have a new couch?" He asked, nervously.

"A new couch?" Mustang asked, confirming he's heard correctly.

"Yeah. You know, just taken out of my research money. I'll find a good deal. Riza is pretty upset about having to replace the old couch."

Mustang spun around in his chair, facing the other way. "So you'd like me to authorise the use of state money to buy a couch to get some bonus points in her good books?"

"Starting to sound kinda jealous." Ed grumbled.

"Yes, I am." Mustang replied.

"So, do you still love her then?" Ed said. His paranoia heightening. Wit nightmare Hayate's words and Hawkeye naturally spending a lot of time with the Colonel, it was easy for him to begin to fear the worst.

"No. I made that clear before, didn't I?" Colonel Mustang replied.

"Then why do you act this way? What did I ever do to you?" Ed demanded.

"I don't love her. But… I did. It was some time ago. But I did. We talked about it. We decided it was a bad idea, and risked ruining our relationship forever. I couldn't risk that. Not for anything. She's still my rock. I wouldn't be Colonel without her, and I'm not going to be Fuhrer unless I still have her support." He explained. "But, I assumed… probably foolishly, that someday… once everything had sorted itself out and I ruled this country… that she and I would end up together."  
"Quite a fantasy you got there." Ed said sarcastically. "You'd think most people could settle for just ruling the country."

"Shut up. I said I'm fine with it, didn't I? That's the end of the matter, so stop asking me about it. I'll have your couch delivered. Now get back to work." Mustang sulked.

"Thanks, Colonel." Ed said, not expecting the Colonel to permit the purchase so readily.

"I'm not doing it for you." Mustang replied.

"Oh, I just have one more favour to ask."

"Do you need a car with that as well?" Mustang replied sarcastically.

"Not quite. But I need to get put onto night shifts. Dog walking duties in the afternoon." Ed said.

"But I thought you said that was how you were proving it wasn't really Hayate."

"I can do that by getting the real Hayate back. In the meantime… I don't want Riza to be upset. So I need to walk him in the daytime so there's no mess when she gets home."

"Very thoughtful of you." Mustang replied. "At least you're keeping your promise to take care of her. But how exactly do you plan to get a dog that was eaten alive back?"

"I have a plan. It might need a little backup. But I can let you know about that once I've got the nuts and bolts figured out." Ed said.

"And night shifts. That's not going to leave you much time with Lieutenant Hawkeye."

"We still have weekends." Ed shrugged. "It might not be the practical thing, but it's the right thing."

"You're even starting to sound like her." Mustang smirked.


End file.
